McCarthy Wraps New Tower at Arkansas Hospital Campus

By Eric Althoff

ROGERS, Ark.—McCarthy Building Companies has completed buildout on a new patient tower at the Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas campus, located on the outskirts of Bentonville, the hometown of Walmart. The 275,000-square-foot, eight-story patient tower cost $147 million and will serve the Bentonville area, which continues to experience a population and business boom.

The new tower at Mercy Hospital Northwest boasts 68 patient beds, 17 of which are specialized for neonatal care. In addition to the expanded ward, McCarthy renovated several of the existing hospital departments, including areas devoted to materials management, laboratory and pharmacy. Five new operating rooms in the surgery suite were included in an expansion of the emergency department.

The new tower was designed by architect Lamar Johnson Collaborative so that it would blend seamlessly with the existing hospital building, connecting both structures at each level. Collaboration between McCarthy and various structural engineers allowed for minimal disruption to the healthcare facility as it was being renovated and added to in various stages of construction.

In addition to the new tower, the existing hospital facility required a 9,500-square-foot addition that would encompass a brand-new front entryway. Other improvements at the site included renovated parking areas.

Throughout the construction work, the buildout team needed to relocate the loading dock and various other facilities as they were required to be within the site’s original footprint during the duration of building and renovation work. The redesigned lower three levels entail an expanded operating area and diagnostic services support space. The 6th and 7th floors, where patient rooms are located, have been purposely designed to allow for future growth at the hospital.

McCarthy’s team utilized virtual design and construction (VDC) and laser scanning to model and improve the ultimate results of the expansion project.

“The McCarthy team went above and beyond to coordinate logistics of this complicated project to minimize disruption and ensure safety of all patients, visitors and staff,” Stephen Gilbert, regional manager of construction at Mercy, said in a statement.

Added McCarthy Project Director Tate Jacobitz: “Throughout the project, we worked closely with the Mercy leadership team and hospital staff to ensure this complex project progressed safely and with minimal disruption to patients, visitors and staff.

“The new tower helps meet the region’s growing demand for healthcare services and strengthens Mercy’s positive impact in the community.”

The new patient tower is just one part of a $277 million expansion of Mercy’s healthcare facilities located throughout Northwest Arkansas. Nearby Mercy Hospital Northwest, McCarthy also recently completed a $47 million, 63,000-square-foot multispecialty healthcare facility, also for client Mercy.

In addition to architect Lamar Johnson Collaborative, McCarthy’s partners on the Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas campus were mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineer bTME, civil engineer Crafton Tull, structural engineer Toth and Associates and commissioning contractor Heideman Associates.