The University of Rochester is building its biggest project ever, and the emergency department is the reason. A $650 million expansion at Strong Memorial Hospital will nearly triple the size of an ED built for a fraction of today’s patient volume, adding a nine-story tower with more than 100 private inpatient rooms.
Project Scope
The 650,000-square-foot expansion, designed by Ballinger and built by Turner Construction with Pike Construction Services, centers on a nine-story patient tower and a rebuilt, far larger emergency department. The work adds more than 200 exam and treatment spaces across the ED and the region’s psychiatric emergency program, and it’s phased so the hospital keeps running through every stage. A 21-story tower crane went up over the campus to handle the vertical build.
Why It Matters
Strong is the only Level 1 trauma center for a wide swath of upstate New York and the Finger Lakes, so its ED backs up fast when volumes climb. Private inpatient rooms have become a standard of care that older ward-style floors can’t meet. The expansion is really about capacity and infection control at a regional safety-net hospital, the kind of institutional work that holds steady even when commercial slows. Completion is targeted for 2027.
Project Team & Details
| Owner / Client | University of Rochester Medical Center |
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| Architect | Ballinger |
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| General Contractor | Turner Construction / Pike Construction Services |
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| Status | Under Construction |
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| Funding Source | Institutional |
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