This article originally appeared on CityBiz.
The buildout provides 50 new intensive care patient rooms and 49,000 square feet of support space at the Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children in Birmingham, Alabama
Hoar Construction today announced it has completed the buildout of the 12th floor at the Children’s of Alabama’s Benjamin Russell Hospital in downtown Birmingham, Alabama, delivering 50 new intensive care patient rooms and more than 49,000 square feet of critical support space. The project broke ground in August 2024, and patient move-ins began at the end of February.
Originally constructed as shell space when the hospital opened in 2012, the 12th floor was reserved for future expansion and had been used primarily for storage.
“This project is especially meaningful for Hoar because it represents the continued trust Children’s of Alabama has placed in our team for more than a decade,” said Micah Vance, senior project manager at Hoar. “Since the hospital first opened in 2012, we’ve supported everything from small renovations to major expansions like this one. Helping to strengthen the hospital’s ability to care for its most vulnerable patients speaks to the depth of our partnership and our shared commitment to the Birmingham community.”
Because Children’s of Alabama remained fully operational during the project, minimizing disruption was a top priority. All tie-ins to ductwork, medical gas and water lines required close coordination with hospital leadership to avoid impacting active patient floors. To reduce interference with daily operations and patient movement, the project team relied entirely on hospital elevators to move equipment and material deliveries and stocking occurred during off-peak hours.
“Throughout this project, keeping patients, families and hospital staff safe remained our highest priority,” said Andrew Bray, superintendent on the project at Hoar. “Our team approached every phase of the build with that responsibility in mind, ensuring the hospital could continue delivering exceptional care without interruption.”
Additional project partners include architect firm Poole & Company, BBG&S Engineering Consultants and SSOE Group.
Hoar has established itself as one of the nation’s leading healthcare builders, completing over $2 billion in healthcare projects over the past 10 years. Hoar has also served as the general contractor on a $4.5 million cardiovascular unit at Shelby Baptist Medical Center in Alabaster, Alabama; the 346,000-square-foot UAB Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility in Birmingham, Alabama; and a 144,000-square-foot U.S. Veterans Affairs mental health clinic in Temple Terrace, Florida.
