IU Health making progress on new downtown home
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The future of IU Health is taking shape in Indy. Photo: Courtesy of IU Health
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.
Why it matters: 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.
Driving the news: 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 big picture: 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.
By the numbers: The hospital will accommodate 864 licensed beds, comparable to the current number of licensed beds at Methodist and University.
- 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.
Zoom in: Mladucky said having an adaptable design that considers the experience of everyone who comes through the hospital's doors is crucial to the project's overall success.
- The facility is being designed to allow hospital staff to quickly incorporate the latest tech in a cost-effective way. That kind of conversation can be slow and expensive in traditional hospitals, he said.
- Time is also being spent thinking about the visitor experience and talking with neighbors about what they expect.
- "We're part of the neighborhood," Mladucky said. "Not an isolated institution that blocks the neighbors from visiting and being part of the experience that we're creating."
The intrigue: IU Health is aiming to create this experience during a period of significant change for downtown Indy.
- The recently renovated Stutz building just to the south has quickly become one of downtown's hottest properties.
- Leading up to the hospital's completion in 2027, the city will see the opening of several new downtown hotels and the Indiana Convention Center expansion wrapping in 2026.
- Meanwhile, the $140 million redevelopment of Old City Hall into a 32-story mixed-use tower is set to debut in 2028.
What he's saying: "It's an exciting project. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, really. It will reshape how health care is delivered, both for those in Indianapolis, as well as the Midwest," Mladucky said. "It'll rival anything that's being built or just finished at Ohio State or at Vanderbilt or in Chicago."
What's next: The development is expected to achieve a significant construction milestone this summer called "topping out the podium," a stage where the lower frame of the hospital is complete and construction of the vertical towers will begin.
- The structure of the hospital is expected to be finished by March, heating and cooling should be installed by April, and the building should be fully enclosed by fall 2025.