Ohio State Wexner Medical Center — New University Hospital

The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s new University Hospital opened on February 22, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. At 1.9 million square feet across 26 floors, it is one of the largest single-tower hospital builds completed in the United States in the last decade and the anchor of OSU’s long-term inpatient capacity expansion.

Project Scope

• 1.9 million square feet of clinical and support space
• 820 private inpatient rooms
• 234 intensive care unit beds
• 51 neonatal intensive care beds
• Integrated diagnostic and procedural platforms across multiple service lines
• Helistop, ambulance bays, and connection to the existing James Cancer Hospital and Ross Heart Hospital

Project Status

The hospital is now open and admitting patients. The tower was constructed on the OSU medical campus on West 10th Avenue and is the cornerstone delivery of the broader Wexner Medical Center inpatient expansion program. Activation, equipment commissioning, and clinical transition phases continued through the first half of 2026.

Why It Matters

The new University Hospital nearly doubles OSU’s adult inpatient capacity at the main medical campus and is one of the most ambitious single-building healthcare projects completed in the Midwest. The all-private-room model reflects the broader U.S. healthcare construction trend toward private inpatient rooms for infection control, family presence, and recovery outcomes.

Key Stakeholders

• Owner: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
• Construction Manager: Turner Construction / Smoot Construction (joint venture)
• Architect: HOK and Moody Nolan
• Project Type: Replacement and expansion of the existing University Hospital