Skanska Completes Phase One of US$400m Miami ER Job

Skanska has completed the first phase of a US$400m expansion and renovation of the emergency room at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, according to the company. The new addition spans 178,000 square feet, which is three times the size of the original facility.

The expanded ER includes 60 general exam rooms, four resuscitation rooms, six triage rooms and 12 fast-track rooms. A dedicated second floor for patient care contains 50 observation rooms and seven acute care rooms.

Patients will also have access to a new onsite pharmacy and a full radiology suite, which features MRI, CT, X-ray and ultrasound capabilities.

Skanska demolished two existing buildings to make way for the expansion, having won a US$90m contract for the work in 2023.

Second phase 

The second phase of the project has already kicked off, and will expand the existing 45,000 square-foot emergency room to include 121 adult emergency rooms, multiple dedicated behavioural health bays and 30 paediatric emergency rooms.

Completion of the second phase is scheduled for 2027.

A final third phase will add a new floor, with additional clinical space and improved helipad access, according to Jackson Health System.

Carlos Migoya, CEO of Jackson Health System, described the project as one of the most significant in the hospital's history at its groundbreaking in January 2024.

"A hospital that provides the most exceptional care like Jackson Memorial does deserves a facility that reflects that expertise," Carlos says.

Funding Miami’s new ER 

Jackson Health Foundation raised more than US$100m toward the project, which is a record fundraising total for the health system, according to the foundation. The expansion was designed by architecture firm HKS.

Jackson Memorial's emergency department receives around 120,000 patient visits a year, which makes it one of the busiest in the US.

Flavia Llizo, CEO of Jackson Health Foundation, says the project reflects a shared commitment to accessible care.

"We're incredibly grateful to our supporters and founding partners for helping us build the next era of emergency care in Miami-Dade County, right here at Jackson," Flavia says.

Skanska’s healthcare pipeline

The Jackson project adds to a run of healthcare work Skanska has delivered across Florida this year. The contractor topped out the US$435m Lee Health Fort Myers campus in March, and delivered a 53,000 square-foot cancer centre in Redmond, Oregon, in April.

Skanska has worked with Jackson Health System before, having delivered the Jackson Project D floor modernisation in 2019.

Skanska’s original 2023 contract for the demolition work was worth US$90m and covered the removal of two existing buildings, clearing space for what was planned as a 130,000 square-foot expansion. Since then, the scope has expanded to 178,000 square feet.

Skanska USA is headquartered in New York, with 29 offices across the country. The firm generated US$6.9bn in US construction revenue in 2022, and has invested a further US$3.5bn as a developer in commercial and multi-family projects.

Healthcare and data centre construction have both helped drive planning activity higher in recent months, according to US construction data provider Dodge Construction Network.

The healthcare construction wave is not isolated to the US. The UK's New Hospital Programme selected ten contractors this year to deliver England's largest hospital building scheme, through its Hospital 2.0 Alliance.