SmithGroup Celebrates Opening of CommonSpirit St. Anthony North Health Bed Tower Expansion

SmithGroup, one of the nation’s leading integrated design firms, celebrates the opening of CommonSpirit St. Anthony North Hospital’s new five-story bed tower expansion, which held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 29.  

Through a strategic partnership, SmithGroup and Boulder Associates collaborated closely as co-leads in the planning, design, project management and execution of the healthcare facility’s expansion. Built by Mortenson, the 133,000-square-foot addition will be dedicated to supporting the healthcare needs of Westminster and its surrounding communities.  

“We are incredibly proud to play a role in introducing the first stage of the new bed tower at St. Anthony North, an expansion that will greatly benefit the needs of the growing northern Colorado region,” said Brenna Costello, SmithGroup’s Health Studio Leader in Colorado. “Throughout the design journey, the patient, staff and visitor experience remained top of mind, as well as innovative solutions that will not only help deliver world-class care but accommodate long-term healthcare needs.”  

Located at I-25 and 144th Avenue in Westminster, Colorado, the bed tower addition gives the existing campus a new first impression. In addition to the development of the bed tower, the expansion includes a new lobby, expanded patient and visitor elevator core, a new drop-off canopy, a new café, and site developments.  

Keeping a few key drivers in mind, the SmithGroup and Boulder Associates teams minimized site impact and delivered a design that celebrates expansive views of the mountains for as many patient rooms as possible. The design also accommodates multiple types of patient rooms, giving the hospital the flexibility to meet future healthcare needs and evolving patient requirements. 

“This new tower is more than just a building; it is a symbol of our dedication to advancing medical care and enhancing patient experiences. With state-of-the-art facilities, cutting-edge technology, and a design focused on patient comfort and safety, we are setting a new standard for healthcare in the region,” said Dr. Constance Schmidt, CEO of CommonSpirit St. Anthony North Hospital. “Our expansion is not only paramount for our hospital, but for our entire Greater Denver community. As we open the doors to this new facility, we look forward to the countless lives that will be touched, healed, and improved within these walls.” 

The project houses a 30-bed medical-surgical floor, half of which are infectious isolation rooms, a soon to be completed cancer center on the first floor, a future 25 bed intensive care (ICU) floor, including 12 infectious isolation rooms, and two floors of shelled space that can be fit out to meet future expansion needs. When the tower is completely built out, St. Anthony North Hospital will have an overall capacity of 237 beds.  

The tower sits on top of a new, advanced cancer center which will provide centralized medical and radiation oncology services for the first time in the community. The center includes a dedicated entrance for patients and visitors, a 12-bay, state-of-the-art infusion center, radiation therapy including a linear accelerator and advanced High-Dose Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy, and a compounding pharmacy. The cancer center is scheduled to open in early 2025. 

Other key partners included Martin Martin as the structural engineer, Cator Ruma as the MEP engineer and SA Miro as the civil engineer. The project was led by a partnership of Adams Management and Med Development as owner’s representatives.