Seven-story steel superstructure
Approximately 3,900 tons of structural steel were detailed for the main hospital tower.
LocationLakewood, Colorado
Client and fabricatorZimmerman Metals
Structural steelApproximately 3,900 tons
Hospital sizeApproximately 670,000 square feet
Construction period2009–2011
Project overview
Structural steel detailing for a new medical campus west of Denver.
St. Anthony Hospital was developed as a replacement for the former St. Anthony Central Hospital in Denver.
The new Lakewood campus opened in 2011, creating a modern regional healthcare facility with emergency, trauma, surgical, imaging and rehabilitation services. It also became the headquarters of the Flight for Life air medical transport program.
Working for Zimmerman Metals, our team provided structural steel detailing for approximately 3,900 tons of steel.
A steel-framed tower designed with future growth in mind.
The main hospital consists of a seven-story steel superstructure supported on cast-in-place concrete foundations.
The structural design allowed the tower to be expanded vertically to nine floors, providing capacity for the hospital to grow beyond its original configuration.
The broader medical campus also included OrthoColorado Hospital, medical office facilities, parking and support areas.
A regional medical center built around emergency access and specialized care.
The new campus includes:
- emergency and Level I trauma facilities,
- surgical and inpatient departments,
- rehabilitation and imaging services,
- outpatient and specialty medical facilities,
- rooftop helipad facilities supporting Flight for Life operations.
The campus was intended to modernize the hospital’s facilities and improve access to advanced medical care in the western Denver metropolitan area.
Project team and technical details
- Owner at project completion
- Centura Health
- Current operator
- CommonSpirit Health
- Main tower
- Seven stories
- Expansion capacity
- Designed for vertical expansion to nine stories
- Structural engineer
- Structural Design Group
- Architect
- Earl Swensson Associates
- General contractor
- GE Johnson Construction Co.
- Primary scope
- Structural steel detailing
Detailing scope
Fabrication-ready detailing for a major hospital structure.
Engineering-based structural package
The steel detailing package for Zimmerman Metals followed the design prepared by Structural Design Group, with the tower supported on cast-in-place concrete foundations.
Provision for vertical expansion
The structural design allowed the hospital tower to grow from its initial seven floors to nine floors.
Model to field
From coordinated geometry to the project on site.
01 / Coordinated model
02 / Fabrication & field
Project result
A replacement hospital completed in 2011.
Construction began in 2009, and the new hospital opened in May 2011. The completed facility replaced the former St. Anthony Central campus, which had operated in Denver for more than a century.