New surgical tower is largest addition to UNC Health campus in Chapel Hill

Construction on UNC Health’s North Carolina Surgical Hospital, the largest addition to the Chapel Hill campus since it was built in 1952, was recently completed. The seven-story, 375,000-sf structure houses 26 operating rooms, four of which are hybrid size to accommodate additional equipment and technology for newly developed procedures. The addition also includes 59 pre- and post-operating rooms along with two floors of ICU space with 80 beds.

After considerable planning, the Surgical Tower was placed directly in front of the NC Memorial Hospital. This location provides patients and families easy access to surgical services and creates a more modern façade. The new tower is replacing aging facilities with larger and more efficient operating suites, as surgeries have grown more complex and require larger teams.

The building has a main reception area as well as visitor waiting areas on each floor, an indoor and outdoor staff lounge, employee locker rooms, offices, and conference rooms. Patient drop-off canopies now protect the entrances of both the surgical hospital and the children’s hospital next door from the elements. Two new overhead pedestrian bridges connect the existing campus parking decks to the UNC Adams School of Dentistry building and the new hospital. The Terrace Café, a new two-story building, provides much-needed respite for visitors and staff, and is located inside the existing courtyard space of Memorial Hospital. The project included renovations in the ambulatory patient care facility and a refreshed butterfly garden.

Prior to construction, site development work included extensive utility relocations, an upgraded storm and sanitary system, a new chilled water and steam system for the new hospital and adjacent buildings, and a new electrical duct bank from the hospital’s generator plant.

To expedite project delivery, multiple bid phases were employed including early site, early foundations, pedestrian bridge packages, and building packages.

Owner and/or developer: UNC HEALTH
Design architect: Page
Architect of record: Page
MEP engineer: Affiliated Engineers, Inc. (AEI)
Structural engineer: Stewart
General contractor/construction manager: Skanska USA Building