July 15, 2024- IU Health’s new hospital is on pace to reimagine medical care in central Indiana and remix the identity of downtown Indianapolis in just three years. The $2.3 billion project, targeting a late 2027 debut, is a skyline-reshaping development for the Near Northside and an opportunity to reduce operating costs for IU Health. IU Health leaders recently provided a fresh look at the hospital’s three-tower design and sat down with Axios Indianapolis to discuss what makes it unlike anything else in the Midwest.
Jim Mladucky, vice president of design and construction, said it is the largest health care project under construction right now in the United States.
The still-unnamed hospital will consolidate operations of IU Health Methodist and University hospitals, saving $50 million per year in service costs, plus another $8 million from reduced carbon emissions. When it opens, much of the existing Methodist Hospital complex will undergo a significant renovation to be integrated into the larger campus, including portions of it being razed. Plans for the old buildings are still pending, but officials said neither will continue with any clinical functions. The new 16-story hospital with a main entrance off Senate Avenue — just south of 16th Street — will be the centerpiece of a 44-acre expanded campus and contain more than 2 million square feet of space.
All of the rooms will be 325 square feet, large enough to switch to critical care if needed. Officials said the spacious design was intentional so family members can be present and participate in the healing process. The hospital will include 50 operating rooms and 380 outpatient exam rooms.