Hennepin County

100+

Projects Completed

30+

Years of Client Service

Minnesota’s Largest County

Dunham’s relationship with Hennepin County dates back to 1992 when we designed the award-winning Public Works Facility in Medina, MN. This facility is the central hub of the county’s road and highway system’s operation, design, and maintenance programs. The highly-sustainable project became a model project in developing the Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines (MSBG).

In the 30 years since, under a Master Contract and various teaming efforts, Dunham has completed 100+ more Hennepin County projects. Our work recently includes a significant data center expansion and a major renovation of the Ridgedale Library & Service Center. We have also completed various remodels and infrastructure upgrades in the high-rise Government Center and the Medina Public Works facility. Some of our most recent work includes the Net Zero Minnetonka Library and the renovation of the Brookdale Regional Library.

Brookdale Regional Center Library Remodel & Preservation, B3

Hennepin County will preserve its Brookdale Regional Center by addressing critical infrastructure and building system needs to ensure the long-term integrity and functionality of the library. This project will remodel the 57,000 SF library and replace HVAC systems that adhere to the State of Minnesota B3 guidelines. The goal of the remodel is to create a more inviting entrance, improve sight lines, update the children’s area, replace the automated materials handling (AMH) system, upgrade restrooms and lockers, reconfigure office space for efficiency, improve technology in meeting rooms, expand access to study rooms, and upgrade acoustics. The facility preservation work replaces and upgrades all major building systems, including the HVAC and chillers, to ensure the facility’s long-term viability. The county aims to ensure optimal conditions and maintenance for the building were in place to promote the quality of services it provides to the residents of Hennepin County. To address climate action aspects of the facility, our design includes PV arrays, EV chargers, high-efficiency equipment, and geothermal energy systems as part of the infrastructure upgrades. Our team is also designing the technology systems, which included AV, security camera, and card access systems. Dunham is providing all mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and low voltage design services for this project.

Westonka Library, Net Zero

With this project, Hennepin County aims to replace the Westonka Library with a larger, net zero facility that could be a model for future Hennepin County buildings. Dunham completed the preliminary design phase and is currently finalizing the design to meet net zero goals and follow Minnesota B3 design guidelines. The new facility aims to achieve these exciting energy goals through on-site renewable sources such as geothermal heat and solar energy, among other sustainable strategies. It will not use natural gas, but will utilize electricity for all heating and cooling needs. The county is going as far as preserving established trees on the 1.7-acre site and will landscape it with native plants and contain nearly all stormwater on site. The plans call for strategies to reuse or keep ~75% of the existing building material out of landfills, including reusing wood beams from the original structure. The design uses natural light to make the space more efficient and inviting, improves technology, and adds more space for community events. The new $17.5 M, 12,000 SF library is Hennepin County’s first Net Zero building and will open to its members in 2026.

625 Building Renovation

Dunham designed this multi-phase renovation of the 17-story 625 Office Building, previously occupied by Thrivent financial. The first phase of the project includes a remodel of office space on four floors, totaling 85,000 SF. The entire 539,000 SF building will consist of office space supporting downtown operations. The project also includes an assessment of the existing mechanical and electrical systems supporting the building. The project includes the complete replacement of much of this mechanical and electrical infrastructure, pending our review and recommendations. The project will address the building automation system, air handling units, fans, pumps, chilled water and heating water piping, sprinkler piping, fire pump, sanitary piping, domestic hot and cold water piping, elevators, fire alarm, electrical services, lighting, and lighting controls.