Dive Brief:
- A joint venture of Providence, Rhode Island-based Gilbane Building Co. and Indianapolis-based F.A. Wilhelm topped out Indiana University Health’s new downtown Indianapolis hospital, according to a May 27 Gilbane news release.
- The $4.3 billion, 2.1 million-square-foot hospital, announced in August 2020, will contain 864 inpatient rooms, 50 operating rooms and two helipads, according to Gilbane's project page. It will combine the health system’s Methodist and University Hospitals, and is on track to finish in 2027, according to a June 2024 construction update.
- The medical project, initially budgeted at $1.6 billion, swelled to $4.3 billion in 2023. Growing construction costs of more than 20% of the initial budget and a height increase in the hospital’s three bed towers to 16 stories initially increased it to $2.31 billion, according to a 2023 news release from the hospital network.
Dive Insight:
Along with those construction costs, support buildings and other infrastructure — which include medical offices, parking garages and logistics space — tacked on an additional $1.98 billion to the project’s price tag, per the news release. Combined, the inflated costs and additional work more than doubled the original budget.
The hospital will also feature three clinical institutes for cancer, cardiovascular and neuroscience care, according to the hospital’s project page.
The complex will include bridges to the Capitol View medical office building, the Indiana University School of Medicine and the South Support Building, per Gilbane. At a lower level, below-grade tunnels will traverse from the hospital to the School of Medicine, South Support Building and central utility plant.
“Reaching the topping-out milestone is a proud moment for our entire team,” said Aaron Perry, Gilbane’s project director, in the release. “It reflects years of hard work, coordination, and a shared dedication to safety and quality.”
