The Project: University of Iowa Health planned a 60-acre greenfield hospital campus development in North Liberty, IA, which includes a six-story, 437,180-sf hospital and clinic, 33,514-sf detached Central Utility Plant (CUP), and approximately 730,000-sf of space for future expansion. The primary hospital and clinic will house up to 48 beds, 14 emergency care rooms, 12 operating rooms, two procedure rooms, laboratories, a pharmacy, 84 clinic exam rooms, advanced diagnostic imaging, outpatient clinics, physical therapy, teaching and research space.

Project goal: To build Iowa’s first comprehensive academic center hospital in North Liberty, with space to accommodate future growth.

Design approach: IMEG provided mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering design and services to support this development. While not involved in site planning or design of the CUP, our engineers coordinated with those efforts to ensure the MEP designs properly tie into the established infrastructure. Our team participated in the campus master planning phase, so we served as a leader throughout the design process. Our experience and knowledge related to approach, phasing, and operations was invaluable to the owner, bringing innovative options to the table during project planning. IMEG has regularly supported UIHC for years and could offer our knowledge of the planned design, campus infrastructure requirements, and potential shortcomings, to identify potential pain points early on and develop plans to address them over the course of design.