Benedictine Health System

The designers responsible for building The Garden House at St. Mary’s, Winsted, Minn., received an award from Minnesota Associated Builders and Contractors. Nor-Son, Inc., Brainerd, Minn., received a pyramid award in the health care, $1 to $5 million category in recognition of outstanding achievement and quality workmanship for that project. The Garden House winning project was selected from entries submitted from across the state and were judged on complexity, attractiveness, unique challenges, completion time, workmanship, innovation, safety, and budget.

The Gardens at St. Mary’s, part of the St. Mary’s Care Center campus, is a 13,000-square-foot memory care house for those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and related forms of dementia. Nor-Son utilized its residential and health care expertise to design and build the St. Mary’s Garden House, which provides a home-like environment, divided into two parts or households, housing up to 10 residents each. Each household includes living, dining and family space surrounding a high-end residential style kitchen which creates a comforting, warm environment that feels like home.

Founded in 1978, Nor-Son is a nationally recognized leader in the design and construction industry. The construction services firm specializes in creating warm, welcoming and well-built environments for the home, hospitality, health care and commercial sectors. Nor-Son has offices in Baxter, Minn., and Fargo, N. D.  www.nor-son.com

Associated Builders and Contractors is a national association representing 23,000 Merit Shop construction and construction-related firms in 79 chapters across the United States www.abc.org.