Atrium hits construction milestone on 12-story tower. What’s next for the project?
A construction crane carrying a steel beam was the center of attention at the Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center on Blythe Road Tuesday.
The topping out ceremony marked another step towards completing the 12-story New Advanced Care Facility at Carolinas Medical Center. It involved the installation of the final steel beams of the project and its structural framework near the midtown campus.
Atrium officials said in July 2023 that the tower project would cost $900 million. On Tuesday, a hospital system spokesperson could not provide updated cost estimates.
The facility will support the growth of the Charlotte region for decades, said Chan Roush, vice president and facility executive for the flagship center. It will offer maternity, surgery and emergency services, according to Atrium.
Thew new center is also important since the hospital is the region’s only Level 1 trauma center to handle sudden and severe physical injuries that require immediate medical attention, Roush added.
“It’s absolutely critical to keep up with the growth of this community and allow us to continue to be able to provide some of the clinical services that are unique to Carolina’s Medical Center and Atrium Health,” Roush told The Charlotte Observer.
But there’s still a lot of work to do for the 1.1 million-square-foot facility. Atrium would like to open the building in 2027, Roush said.
What will the new facility offer?
The new center will provide:
▪ A new emergency department
▪ Close to 450 patient rooms
▪ More than 50 operating and procedure rooms
▪ A new helipad
▪ Space on each floor for employee health and well-being
▪ Connectivity across campus with new pedestrian bridges and walkways
When did work start?
The multi-year project on the campus began several years ago, Roush said. Another part of the project is the David L. Conlan Center at Atrium Health Carolinas Rehabilitation.
That $100 million project opened in January 2023 and replaced a 73-year-old building. It has 72 beds, private treatment spaces, a therapy garden and 16,000 square feet of inpatient and outpatient therapy space.
Atrium broke ground for the care facility in July 2023.
The topping off ceremony represents construction crews getting closer to the official opening. About 600 workers are building the facility next to the hospital. In the upcoming months, 900 more people will be working on the site to complete the project.
Charlotte-based Rodgers Builders and DPR Construction are leading the construction work.
The project is part of Atrium Health’s master plan for local-area growth. In 2018, Atrium Health announced plans for more than $1 billion in capital expenditure investment. The new tower is part of that plan.
There will be robots too
Robots in the building will help nurses deliver medicine and ice cream, according to Atrium and the construction companies.
The hospital system also said more than 1,500 nurses, doctors and hospital staff members will be helping patients.
Atrium Health is a part of Charlotte-based Advocate Health. The hospital system is the third-largest nonprofit health system in the U.S. and serves about 6 million patients. More than 155,000 employees work in 68 hospitals and over 1,000 health care locations.
