As part of a $2 billion expansion, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre (UPMC) is moving ahead with its plans to construct a new 636-bed specialty heart and transplant hospital named the UPMC Presbyterian Hospital. This hospital was among three hospitals that were announced by UPMC for construction in 2018. The other two hospitals were the UPMC Hillman Cancer Hospital and the UPMC Vision and Rehabilitation Tower.
These hospitals were planned to be developed in stages, starting with the UPMC Vision and Rehabilitation and now the UPMC Presbyterian Hospital is the next in line to begin construction. According to the developers, this new heart and transplant hospital is expected to take about four years to reach completion and is scheduled to open in the latter part of 2026.
Features of the UPMC Presbyterian Hospital
The development site of the UPMC Presbyterian Hospital is located on the corner of Fifth Avenue and DeSoto Street and it will contain the 17-story high tower hospital building, which will occupy over 871,000 square feet, along with 4,800 square feet of retail and restaurant spaces, and ample parking space for up to 450 cars. The development will also feature public art installations and green spaces on the roof terrace.
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Renderings of the UPMC Presbyterian Hospital building show that its exterior would have mostly a glass facade, which was a cause for concern among the commissioners, who were bothered about how this design might affect the glare and reflections in the area. The officials of UPMC were able to justify the selected design; they said studies have shown that the convex design of the southwest side of the building, would receive the most direct sunlight and also disperse light reflections.
UPMC is aiming for a 12% minority workforce target and a 6.9% women workforce target, as part of the restaurant spaces in the UPMC Presbyterian Hospital project. According to UPMC project manager Mike Schesler, the first floor of the hospital tower, houses a Starbucks coffee shop and UPMC is currently in search of another tenant for the first-floor restaurant.
