On the horizon

In January 2015, UF Health leaders, faculty, staff and community members gathered for the UF Health Heart & Vascular and Neuromedicine hospitals’ groundbreaking ceremony. In December 2017, less than three years later, our shared vision will become a reality as the hospitals open to patients and their families.

The specialty hospitals will provide world-class space in which our providers can deliver concentrated care to meet the growing demand for UF Health’s neurologic, neurosurgical, heart and vascular services. Consolidating care in one building will help us provide an outstanding experience for patients, with more efficiency and a variety of treatment options in the same location.

The $415 million project will provide a place for continued growth and an advanced home for the care of patients with complex health conditions.

UF Health Shands Facilities teams are working with several companies on the project: Skanska USA is heading the construction work; Affiliated Engineers Inc. is the building’s engineering firm; and Flad & Associates are the architects designing the building.

Our construction, by the numbers*:

• 450 workers on-site per day (average)

• 814,876+ hours to date

• 35,970 cubic yards of concrete

• 2,700 tons of reinforcement steel

• 115,000 square feet of glass

• $32.5 million positive economic impact (local and regional workers’ salaries)

*All figures were estimated in May 2016.

Building design goes green

With this new construction, we are pursuing a Green Globes Certification, an assessment that measures environmental performance and sustainable design. The American National Standards Institute criteria include indoor air quality, efficient water consumption and recycling efforts.

Patient parking? No problem.

A 600-space parking garage adjacent to the hospitals will ensure easy access for patients and visitors if they forgo valet parking. A covered walkway from the garage will lead into the lobby of the building, where metro-inspired wayfinding will help patients, visitors, faculty and staff find their way through the facility.

“This building has two front doors, not a back door,” said Brad Pollitt, A.I.A., UF Health Shands Facilities Development vice president. “We designed it to ensure our patients and visitors can easily access the hospitals, whether they choose to self-park or use the valet service. Everything we’re creating has our patients’ ease in mind.”

Fast facts

• $415 million budget

• 216 inpatient rooms

• 20 operating rooms

• 78 clinic exam/procedure spaces

Keep up with the progress and see other construction updates at Blueprints for progress http://blueprints.ufhealth.org