Altru Health System (AHS) is a world-class community of health professionals committed to caring for 230,000 residents in northeast North Dakota and northwest Minnesota. In pursuing the expansion of their performance center, with a concentrated focus on pediatric space, their goal was to secure one united space that could inclusively serve the community. Altru needed a full-solution sports training gym as well as a physical, occupational, hand, speech, chiropractic, and pediatric therapy facility, all consolidated under the same roof.
Within walking distance of the primary medical center, the new Altru Performance Center began as an adaptive reuse project within a former retail store. Through a series of visual listening exercises, the team established a design concept of “Rhythm and Movement” – strong, synced, repeated patterns found throughout the patient-friendly design. Wellbeing is further elevated through brilliant, nature-inspired distraction imagery – inviting positive perspectives with graphics, engaging artwork, and bright colors that redirect focus.
JLG planned each space for flexibility, defining shared waiting areas, exam rooms, gyms, a café, and an indoor turf with modular panel wall systems comprised of 42.5% recycled content. While the adult corridors focus on “Field, River, and Prairie” inspiration, the pediatric area is built on the concept of a “Fun Factory,” bold and colorful with an advanced sensory gym, climbing walls, a ball pit, and zip lines. To activate the pediatric exam rooms, imagery is based on the elements of “Land and Sea.” Here, sliding barn doors connect to playful distraction imagery that coordinates each exam room with a specific animal. At Altru’s new Performance Center, imaginative wayfinding speaks the language of its patients; offering state-of-the-art care, one-stop-shop convenience, and simplified physical accessibility.
