Building More Than a Building: A Partnership Built on Trust

Posted on September 3, 2026 by LeadingAge Minnesota

Construction projects are often measured in square feet, schedules and budgets. But the best projects are ultimately measured by something much harder to quantify: relationships.

That has certainly been the case for Bauer Design Build and Guardian Angels as we work together on the expansion and renovation of the Engel Haus campus in Albertville, Minnesota.

The project includes an 87-unit independent living addition along with renovations to common areas within the adjoining assisted living building. It is a significant investment in the Engel Haus campus and in Guardian Angels’ ability to continue serving older adults in Albertville and the surrounding communities.

For the Bauer team, however, the relationships built along the way have become just as meaningful as the building itself.

Relationships Built Alongside the Project

Large senior living projects require an extraordinary amount of communication and trust. Construction takes place alongside residents who continue to call the campus home. Staff members continue serving those residents every day. Future residents are eagerly anticipating their new homes. Leadership and board members are balancing the long-term vision for the organization with the realities of construction happening today.

That environment requires the owner, design team and construction team to operate as true partners. Bauer has been fortunate to work alongside Pope Design Group, Studio Belle Interiors, and EDI as part of that collaborative project team, with everyone focused on the same goal: creating the best possible outcome for Guardian Angels and the people they serve.

Bauer’s relationship with Guardian Angels has grown from that partnership.

Over countless conversations, meetings, site walks and decisions, Bauer has gotten to know the people behind the organization—not simply as clients, but as people who care deeply about their residents, their employees and the communities Guardian Angels serves.

And along the way, professional relationships became friendships.

When there is genuine trust between teams, conversations become easier and problems get solved faster. People become comfortable asking questions, challenging ideas and working through difficult decisions together. Everyone can focus on the same objective: creating the best possible outcome for the people who will ultimately live and work in the building.

Bringing Everyone Together

Recently, Bauer had an opportunity to celebrate that relationship by hosting a cookout at Engel Haus, bringing together an incredible cross-section of the people connected to the project.

Construction workers who are building the project ate alongside current residents who have watched it rise outside their windows. Future residents had an opportunity to spend time at the campus that will soon become their home. Guardian Angels staff and board members joined members of the local chamber and community.

For a few hours, titles and job descriptions really didn’t matter. It was simply a group of people sharing food, conversation and excitement about what is being created together. For Bauer’s construction team, those moments are particularly meaningful.

The people working on a project every day don’t always have the opportunity to meet the residents who will benefit from their work. Likewise, residents may see construction workers outside their windows every morning without ever getting the chance to know the people behind the hard hats. The cookout was a way to help connect those worlds. It also served as a reminder that every drawing reviewed, every wall framed and every decision made during construction ultimately affects someone’s home, workplace or community.

What Will Remain After the Dust Settles

When the Engel Haus project is complete, there will be plenty of traditional ways to measure its success.

There will be 87 new independent living residences. There will be renovated common spaces. There will be a transformed campus ready to serve current and future generations of Guardian Angels residents.

But Bauer believes another measure of success will be the relationships that remain long after construction is finished.

At Bauer Design Build, we talk frequently about the importance of being a partner rather than simply a contractor. Projects like Engel Haus remind us what that really means.

Partnership isn’t something written into a contract. It is created through hundreds of interactions over the life of a project. It is built by listening, communicating openly, solving problems together and genuinely caring about the people on the other side of the table.

At Bauer Design Build, we’re incredibly grateful to Guardian Angels for trusting Bus with an important chapter in the story of the Engel Haus campus, and to our partners at Pope Design Group, Studio Belle Interiors, and EDI for their collaboration in bringing that vision to life.

More importantly, we are grateful for the friendships that have grown along the way.

Buildings eventually get finished. The best relationships keep being built.