St. Luke’s marks construction milestone on Boise Campus Development project

 

BOISE, Idaho — Adorned with hundreds of team member signatures, quotes and even some artful sketches, St. Luke’s, with the help of its general contractor, Layton Construction, raised the highest steel beam Friday, June 26 on in its Boise Campus Development project with a ceremonial “topping out.”

The topping out ceremony is a longstanding construction tradition that honors both the progress of the project and the workers who make it possible.

The celebratory event brought together the project’s general contractor, Layton Construction, the many trade partners, architects, community partners and St. Luke’s team members involved to pause and recognize the project’s significant milestone, the progress and the people behind it.

“This moment represents more than steel and concrete. It reflects the dedication of our teams and St. Luke’s commitment to and investment in improving the health of the people in the communities we serve,” said Dennis Mesaros, vice president for St. Luke’s Boise, McCall and Elmore medical centers.

The Boise Campus Development project includes a new nine-story hospital tower with a helipad, connected to a six-story medical office plaza which will span 1^st Street. The medical office plaza will connect to a parking garage, which was completed in 2021.

The project will add 80 additional hospital beds, relocate all Boise-based surgical services and add seven additional operating rooms for a total of 27. The project is designed to support growing patient needs and expand services, with a focus on improving access, enhancing patient experience and supporting care teams. The medical office plaza will also include unfinished spaces that can be built out into the future as is needed.

“These facilities are designed to help patients navigate care more easily and bring services closer together, which will enhance patient care,” said Mesaros. “They will also provide our team members with efficient, modern spaces that are designed for today’s healthcare technology, and where cross-collaborative communication and care can more easily take place. All of this is critical to serve a growing population that has brought increased and more complex healthcare needs.”

Construction on the five-year-long project began in 2024 and is anticipated to be completed in late 2029. The new facilities are expected to open to patient care in early 2030.

Construction remains on schedule, with steel framing and insulation taking shape on the project’s east side. Around 300 people are working on the construction site at any given time.

“Boise is in a new phase of growth, and all the work happening on the St. Luke’s campus is leading that momentum,” said Jeremy Hobbs, vice president of Layton Construction This hospital will serve Idaho families for generations, and building something that lasts in a community we call home is exactly why we do this work.”

Though three years of construction remain, planning for move-in and first patient days are underway. St. Luke’s is also planning for how care will be delivered in the new facilities and the experience that patients and families will have.

Working with transition planning experts, St. Luke’s will develop a moving plan for equipment and supplies, down to the day when patients are transferred from the existing patient tower to the new hospital, to ensure a safe and efficient transition. Elements like wayfinding signage, the type of communication to share with patients about where to park and how to navigate to their appointments are also part of the early planning.

Additional project details

The new north hospital tower will include:

• 860,000 square feet of patient-centered care.
• 80 additional patient beds, eventually increasing the Boise Medical Center’s capacity to more than 500 beds.
• Relocation of Boise-based surgical services, growing by seven operating rooms, for a total of 27 at the Boise Medical Center.
• Two neuro-interventional biplane imaging systems for innovative diagnosis of strokes and other neurological disorders.

The new medical office plaza will include:

• 180,000 square feet.
• Multiple clinics and providers under one roof to care for patients.
• Seamless, integrated access to care for patients and families.

Learn more about the project.