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Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Atrium Health reaches construction milestone on healthcare tower

Atrium Health held a topping-out ceremony Tuesday on its 12-story, nearly 500-bed hospital tower under construction on its flagship Carolinas Medical Center campus. Atrium provided two time-lapsed videos of the construction, which began in July 2023. The videos can be seen here and here, and are both worth watching.

A topping-out ceremony is part of a construction industry tradition. It marks the installation of the final steel beams of the project, signifying the completion of the structural framework. The 1.1 million-square-foot facility – its metal and glass facade would cover more than eight football fields – has been in the planning stages since 2018. Hospital officials previously reported it will cost more than $900 million to build, and is expected to be completed by spring 2027.

Topping-out ceremony for 1.1 million-square-feet healthcare tower at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024.

DPR Rodgers, a joint venture of Charlotte contractor Rodgers Builders, now owned by Japan’s Kajima, and Redwood City, California-based DPR Construction, leads the construction project.

Once completed, the healthcare tower is expected to offer:

  • A new emergency department
  • Nearly 450 patient rooms
  • More than 50 operating and procedure rooms
  • A new helipad
  • Dedicated space on each floor for teammate health and well-being
  • Connectivity across campus with new pedestrian bridges and walkways
  • A calming respite for the community outdoors along the renovated greenway

“When you look around and see this building not only taking shape, but growing toward completion every day, it is an amazing accomplishment,” said Collin Lane, senior vice president of facilities management for Atrium Health, in a statement. “We are grateful for all the workers, especially DPR Construction and Roberts Builders, who have spent countless hours on this project. Their efforts will one day significantly enhance the experience for both patients and their care teams within these walls.”

Atrium Health is building the tower in a spot adjacent to its current primary bed tower – the Rush S. Dickson Tower –  and where its former rehabilitation center and a parking deck once stood. The David L. Conlan Center at Atrium Health Carolinas Rehabilitation opened in January 2023, replacing the previous rehabilitation location. The new tower will connect with both the Dickson Tower and Conlan Rehabilitation.

Carolinas Medical Center first opened its doors in 1940 as Charlotte Memorial Hospital. It has evolved with many different additions and the tower under construction is part of its modernization, according to Atrium. Carolinas Medical Center serves as the region’s only Level I trauma center.

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