BLAINE, Minn.—Minnesota has just welcomed a brand-new safety response facility to help provide the best possible help when crises are at their worst.
DLR Group partnered with Wold Architects and Engineers to forge Minnesota’s new State Emergency Operations Center, making sure agencies can act in a timely and coordinated manner. The project is now complete and the center is up and running.
The new 37,000-square-foot State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) is set on a 20-acre site in Blaine and is an impressive replacement for the outdated previous facility in downtown St. Paul. The build began with a groundbreaking ceremony held in October 2023.
This venue is now the central hub for Minnesota’s Department of Public Safety’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) division, host approximately 65 staff daily with the ability to accommodate up to 200 personnel during emergencies. It will be the command center organizing responses to disasters such as tornadoes, floods and other major incidents.
The new SEOC incorporates modern capabilities including:
- Geothermal heating and cooling, and solar panels for sustainable energy
- Structural resilience to withstand an EF3 tornado
- Protection from lightning and power surges
- Facilities to house and feed emergency staff during extended activations
- Improved communication infrastructure without the “signal canyon” issues faced at the downtown St. Paul location
The two-story SEOC replacement includes a welcoming one-story entry arrayed in local Kasota limestone, providing approachability while maintaining security. Other highlights include a building layout providing easy wayfinding through the first-floor lobby and other spaces—such as a breakroom, training room, emergency operations center, private offices, conference and breakout rooms. Open workstations on the second level overlook the main situation room below on three sides of the central core through bay windows.
The building is organized around a central situation room visible from three sides—a space where secure infrastructure meets seamless teamwork, all designed to strengthen the statewide response when every moment can be critical.
