Swinerton Builders (Swinerton), an industry-leading commercial general contractor with offices nationwide, announces the completion of two construction projects for Grady Hospital, home to one of the largest trauma centers in the nation. With a combined budget of nearly $1 million, the construction scope encompassed the build-out of a new genetics lab as well as renovation of administration office areas at the medical institution.

"Our presence in the healthcare market continues to grow in the Southeast region," says Rashad Morton, project executive, Swinerton, Atlanta division. “Our teams operate in a wide variety of healthcare settings and are equipped to navigate obstacles unique to the medical ecosystem. These projects at Grady gave us the opportunity to partner with a pillar of the Atlanta community and a national award-winning healthcare leader.”

A design-build renovation on the first floor of the institution adapted an existing office environment to better align with current workplace needs. The construction scope converted two shared administration areas into two executive offices and an updated, shared administrative space. This compact but complex project demolished the existing built-in office equipment and erected a wall, creating two separate spaces. Designed by CDH Partners, the new office environments feature upgraded flooring, ceiling, furniture and finishes. Swinerton also relocated the fire sprinklers, installed new low-voltage wiring, upgraded electrical services and balanced and redistributed the existing HVAC system. The drywall and acoustical ceiling tiles were installed by Swinerton’s self-perform team.

Located on the fourth floor of Grady Hospital’s F wing, Swinerton also completed the design-build of a short-term genetics laboratory. An existing office was converted into the laboratory which is needed to support the hospital’s DNA research while its permanent genetics research facility is under construction. Once the facility is complete, the short-term lab will be added to the hospital’s overall inventory for ongoing testing and research. Swinerton also partnered with architecture firm CDH Partners and design engineers IMEG for this scope of work.

“Grady plays such a vital role in providing exceptional healthcare to the citizens of Atlanta and beyond – particularly as the region’s only Level 1 trauma center,” continues Morton. “As leaders in healthcare construction, creating spaces that support those first-line healthcare providers is an honor and part of our DNA.”

The design-build approach offered a unique opportunity to streamline both design and construction, accelerating the delivery of these much-needed spaces to Grady. Grady drove the overall vision while Swinerton and the design team oversaw the design and constructability, generating efficiencies through close collaboration. As an increasingly popular delivery method, design-build can be more cost-effective as it removes the necessity for managing a separate design phase contract and instead only requires pre-planning and execution phases. Preparation for mobilization can also occur concurrently with the design phase, allowing all project partners to remain fully informed of all processes and maintain the desired schedule. 

Healthcare construction spending is expected to exceed $2.2 billion in Atlanta from 2024 to 2026, according to FMI, and healthcare construction will account for nine percent of total construction projects in the city. Nationally, Swinerton has worked on more than $5 billion in healthcare construction and continues to lead the industry through the integration of emerging technologies and building materials as well as innovative construction approaches.

Grady Hospital’s administration offices and short-term lab are two of the latest healthcare projects that Swinerton has recently delivered throughout the Southeast. Most recently, Swinerton completed two new locations – with another currently under construction – for Seattle-based Vera Whole Health as part of the healthcare provider’s eastward expansion. Last year, Swinerton also completed a $1 million upgrade at UNC Health Blue Ridge Hospital in Valdese, NC., which included establishing a mobile technology dock for the hospital’s fleet of Mobile Integrated Health vehicles. 

Since expanding to the Southeast in 2018, Swinerton’s Atlanta division has constructed nearly $600 million of commercial environments. The expert team of 75 construction professionals specializes in aviation, corporate interiors, healthcare, hospitality, education, civic and senior and affordable multifamily housing.