IU trustees approve design for new, $340M Bloomington hospital

The newest hospital in Bloomington will feature a sweeping, modern design with plenty of glass and natural light.

But, naturally, it will also include a heavy dose of traditional Hoosier building materials: Indiana limestone with brick highlights.

Indiana University Health got the green light Friday from IU trustees on its finalized site plan and exterior design for a new $340 million hospital and academic center.

The hospital will sit on a golf-driving range on the IU campus, with a ridgeline of trees winding around the back (see accompanying; click for larger view). IU Health describes it as a “serene setting that allows the facility to be in harmony with the Indiana University campus and local community.”

The new facility will replace an aging hospital complex about five miles away.

The setting will include trails and “healing gardens” for patients, staff and visitors. The grounds will include native plantings, prairie grasses and bioswells that capture water runoff and purify it. About 400 trees will be planted.

The complex will include a 620,000-square-foot hospital for inpatient and outpatient services, and 115,000 square feet for classrooms and other instructional settings.

The outpatient portion will include a cancer center, specialty physician offices, surgical suites, minor procedure area and a diagnostic center.

 According to a fact sheet, “an abundance of glass” will allow for natural light to stream in through a multi-story atrium and main entry.

The hospital is scheduled to open in 2020.  Services will range from emergency and intensive are to obstetrics and a range of surgeries.

Although the design is modern, the project represents something of a return to the past for both sides. The IU School of Medicine was founded on the Bloomington campus. Many IU Health physicians serve as faculty at the IU School of Medicine. Medical students on the IU Bloomington campus do a portion of their training at the IU Health Bloomington Hospital.

More than 500 physicians, employees, educators and patients participated in design-planning sessions.

“This is an incredible investment in our community,” said Matt Bailey, president of the  IU Health south central region. “We wanted to get it right.”