PROJECT INFORMATION

The Xcel Energy Hiawatha Substation, approximately 2.5 acres in size and located on a formerly vacant spot along Hiawatha Avenue, is one of two new Xcel substations recently installed in South Minneapolis in response to increased demand in the growing and developing area. The two substations, Hiawatha and Midtown, are of the very few substations in the country with aesthetic exteriors. Viewed by over 40,000 passersby daily, Xcel Energy was required to utilize input from local community members for incorporation into their final designs. Now complete, the facilities’ exteriors feature a fabric-like gold aluminum mesh that wraps entirely around them and lights up at nighttime

PROJECT SCOPE

Xcel Energy and Alliance Architects worked with MG McGrath to achieve the unique aesthetic exterior for Xcel’s two newly installed substations in South Minneapolis. At the Xcel Energy Hiawatha Substation, MG McGrath furnished and installed 16,000 square feet of custom-fabricated expanded aluminum mesh over the steel, angled structure. The aluminum mesh is gold in color with a custom anodized finish