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Architect EwingCole and general contractor Whiting-Turner are designing and building the $880 million expansion of Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania.
The Philadelphia-based architect and Baltimore-based GC are working to modernize the hospital campus and the emergency department as part of the most significant expansion in the medical center’s nearly 110-year history, according to a press release issued by EwingCole.
The project includes an 11-story tower with an associated parking deck and renovation to the existing main entrance and drop-off sequence. The tower will feature 192 patient rooms to transition to campus to 100% private rooms on the hospital’s adult medical-surgical units; an expanded emergency department that will double the current space’s square footage; and a new, state-of-the-art operating suite.
Construction began in May and is expected to be complete and open to patients by 2029, according to reporting by Construction Dive. The medical center’s old Dickey Clinic was demolished earlier in the year to make room for the new tower.
“Our community has depended on Geisinger for world-class health care for more than a century,” Terry Gilliland, M.D., president and CEO of Geisinger said in a press release issued by the healthcare consortium. “We’re continuing that legacy today as we announce the largest expansion project in the nearly 110-year history of Geisinger Medical Center. This project will truly transform care. It’s proof of our commitment to making better health easier for our communities today and into the future.”
The expansion project is part of a larger regional investment initiative Geisinger is currently undertaking. Geisinger Behavioral Health Center Danville, a 96-bed inpatient facility in Mahoning Township, is expected to open this summer, and an expansion similar to the Medical Center project is currently underway at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center near Wilkes-Barre.
“This project will completely reimagine the Geisinger Medical Center campus to strengthen collaboration among our staff and units for better patient care,” said Megan Brosious, chief administrative officer for Geisinger’s central region. “Our patients will have a modern care environment where they can continue receiving expert care right here in Danville, as they’ve come to expect from us over the past century. And our teams will have the space they need to provide that care.”
Trends in Healthcare Builds
Earlier this month, Construction Dive reported on how healthcare was one of the industries driving growth in construction planning amid struggles in other sectors.
Healthcare-related planning continued to accelerate in June along with warehouse activity and data center planning, according to data from the Dodge Construction Network’s Dodge Momentum Index, which tracks nonresidential projects entering the planning stage.
The $340 million Cleveland Clinic Avon campus expansion in Avon, Ohio was the largest institutional project to enter the planning stage in June, with the next largest project in that category – the McKinney Amphitheatre Building in McKinney, Texas – valued at less than half that at $150 million.
Nick Kaminski, Vice President of Healthcare Construction for Minneapolis-based construction firm, Ryan Cos., told Construction Dive that healthcare systems are continuing to develop and implement strategic growth plans despite the current economic uncertainties that have led other sectors to pause construction planning efforts. Oncology, cardiovascular, and orthopedic care are areas of focus within many of these growth plans, Kaminski said.
“…As part of this effort, many are prioritizing specialty assets like ambulatory surgery centers and freestanding emergency departments as key elements of their broader ambulatory expansion strategies,” he added. “These facility types are attracting targeted investments in both new construction and campus expansions nationwide…”
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Frequently Asked Questions
What type of informational output is provided when I hire GPRS to conduct a utility locate?
Our Project Managers flag and paint our findings directly on the surface. This method of communication is the most accurate form of marking when excavation is expected to commence within a few days of service.
GPRS also uses a global positioning system (GPS) to collect data points of findings. We use this data to generate a plan, KMZ file, satellite overlay, or CAD file to permanently preserve results for future use. GPRS does not provide land surveying services. If you need land surveying services, please contact a professional land surveyor. Please contact us to discuss the pricing and marking options your project may require.
Can you find PVC piping and other non-conductive utilities?
GPR scanning is exceptionally effective at locating all types of subsurface materials. There are times when PVC pipes do not provide an adequate signal to ground penetrating radar equipment and can’t be properly located by traditional methods. However, GPRS Project Managers are expertly trained in multiple methods of utility locating.
