Building with a Backbone

The gentle curving façade of the HealthPartners Neuroscience Center in St. Paul, Minn., is meant to evoke the idea of a human spine, and that sense of movement is emphasized through the pairing of a metal-panel rainscreen system against reflective curtainwall glazing. The vision of hometown architects BWBR was realized through the use of smaller than usual panels to create a more monolithic appearance and to simplify installation on the curved façade surface.