Grant Medical Center Growing with Columbus
OhioHealth Grant Medical Center is the busiest adult Level I Trauma Center in the state and is currently undergoing a significant expansion. With central Ohio continuing to rapidly grow, OhioHealth decided to further invest in giving patients the highest quality care.
The transformation of Grant’s campus will feature a seven story, 270,000-square-foot inpatient building, new trauma center and new emergency department. This expansion will give Grant the ability to keep up with the growing population and offer convenient critical care options.
The construction team navigates a unique opportunity when building this hospital, as it will be developed around its construction crane system. Grant’s president, Jean Halpin, expresses that they are building in an extremely small space.
"We're building in a closet. We have neighbors five feet away from our property line,” Halpin told Business First reporter Carrie Ghose.
Halpin says that even with the tight constraints of the construction, patients will always come first. Grant is the second largest OhioHealth hospital, with more than 650 beds for patients.
"There's no 'slow time'. We put the patient at the center, always, and we can't close,” Halpin said.
Andy Hoh, Messer Construction Company’s senior project executive, told Ghose their team is using all the space that they have. With the construction crane attached to the foundation of the building, each addition of the hospital will be built around the crane. After reaching the top of the building, it will then be taken apart and removed.
Messer went through thorough preparation before starting to build, ensuring everything was done properly. Hoh said they decided to use saw blades that are quieter to cut down on the construction noise, especially considering the close proximity to surrounding businesses.
This vertical project means that all of space on the property needs to be used effectively. Part of the renovation involves digging a 28-foot basement to maximize space and offer convenience to underground parking.
