UCH to hold groundbreaking ceremony for $400M expansion at Anschutz Medical Campus

The University of Colorado Hospital is holding a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the $400 million expansion on Tuesday, May 24, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Anschutz Medical Campus. The expansion will include a second inpatient 12-story tower, increased patient care facilities to the Anschutz Cancer Pavilion and new parking structures for patients, visitors and employees. The expansion will bring 1,400 full-time jobs to the campus and an additional 276 beds for patients in the tower.

The entire project is poised to be complete by 2013, with the Cancer Pavilion and parking structures completed by the end of 2011.

The hospital is committed to completing this project as LEED-certified, the highest in green building standards. Recycled materials are used as much as possible, and Xcel Energy is providing expertise in creating the most energy-efficient system possible in a hospital. The expansion also will be completed on a fast track by using Building Information Modeling, an advanced construction technique that creates a 3D image of the components, which are then built outside of the building. Once the components are complete, the pieces are brought into the appropriate floor levels and placed permanently in the building. By creating these pieces outside of the site, the building time is significantly reduced and problem issues can be predicted in advance, so they are addressed before the building is complete or almost complete.

"The Rocky Mountain Region deserves to have access to world-class health care, and as our population grows, we continue to grow with it," said CEO and President Bruce Schroffel. "This expansion also allows us to contribute to the community as it brings a significant amount of jobs to Colorado."

In total, the inpatient tower will be nearly 714,000 square feet. The new patient and visitor parking structure will offer 662 spaces, and the new employee structure will have 1,700 spaces. The expansion to the Cancer Center will add 39,800 square feet for two radiation therapy vaults, expanded chemotherapy infusion capacity and increase the number of clinical rooms by 50 percent.

In addition to the increase in hospital jobs, the expansion will create nearly 2,500 construction jobs.