December 8, 2021

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Balfour Beatty, as part of the PennFIRST team, recently celebrated the completion of Penn Medicine’s $1.6 billion hospital, the Pavilion. Designed by PennFIRST, an integrated project delivery team, Balfour Beatty provided general contracting services to deliver the new medical center that will provide world-class care for the community.

The Pavilion—the University of Pennsylvania’s largest capital project—expands the footprint of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. The facility is built to continue Penn Medicine’s world-renowned healthcare research and care and was built with the future of medicine in mind.

The Pavilion, located on the site previously known as Penn Tower, connects the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania to the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine through bridges and an underground tunnel. The new, 1.5 million-square-foot, 17-story inpatient hospital features: 

• An adaptable room concept where patient rooms flex between an intensive care unit set-up and a standard room as caregiving needs change.
• 504 patient rooms with a private bath and a comfortable area for guests.
• A seamless flow of operations from the emergency department through hybrid operating rooms for recovery and discharge.
• Telemedicine functionalities allow for remote monitoring and consultations, and technology that links patients to their friends and families.
• An eco-friendly construction, design, and operations plan that fortifies Penn Medicine’s commitment to the environment through its LEED® Gold Healthcare v4 certification, as well as innovations like the re-use of water, outside air and park-like, outdoor green spaces for patients, families and staff.

“It’s a thrilling time to be part of Penn and our broader Philadelphia community, and we are truly honored to be part of such a dramatic and positive change, as we celebrate the opening of the Pavilion,” said Kevin Mahoney, CEO of the University of Pennsylvania Health System in a recent press release. “This new building now stands as a testament to Penn’s mission to serving humanity – from West Philadelphia to the East Coast, and beyond. The team who designed, build, and now cares for patients in the Pavilion has shown us what the future of medicine looks like and ensured that Penn will be the epicenter of the very best care for generations to come.”

The PennFIRST team, which includes global design and construction experts from Balfour Beatty, L.F. Driscoll, HDR, Foster + Partners, and BR+A, were strategically selected to design, plan and construct one of the most significant integrated project delivery (IPD) healthcare projects in the nation. The delivery of the Pavilion included an innovative approach to modular building and is the first project in Philadelphia to construct mechanical racks and 504 bathroom pods off-site. The specially adapted and innovative prefabrication strategy took place at a 60,000-square-foot warehouse located two miles from the project.

Additionally, in response to COVID-19, the PennFIRST team delivered 120 patient-ready rooms in the emergency department and inpatient facility 15 months ahead of the Pavilion’s planned opening as part of the health system’s surge planning. While the scenarios were not needed, the team completed the 122,000-square-foot space in 17 days.

"From the early design phases of this project and through our consistent collaboration with our partners, Balfour Beatty has developed a strong and longstanding partnership with Penn Medicine through the delivery of the Pavilion,” said Leon Blondin, chief executive officer of Balfour Beatty. “Our industry-leading expertise in innovation and technology successfully helped to construct a cutting-edge healthcare center that will transform the future of patient care and support Penn Medicine’s world-renowned research. I commend our project team members and PennFIRST partners for their agility, adaptability and ongoing teamwork in providing a new medical center that will provide world class care for the Philadelphia community.”

The Pavilion officially opened for patients in the community on October 30. To virtually tour the new facility, click here.