December 31, 2021 | Orlando, Florida, United States | By David Breen, AdventHealth News
In a spectacular nighttime display, AdventHealth ceremonially “topped out” its newest structure, a landmark 12-story building that will be known as Innovation Tower, alongside the Interstate 4 highway in downtown Orlando, Florida, United States.
Swaddled in lights, a steel beam was hoisted into place at the highest point of the building, where it was placed above a 22-foot (6.7-meter) Christmas tree. The topping-out ceremony is a centuries-old construction tradition, with the tree symbolizing prosperity for the occupants of the building.
“This is a beautiful building, but even more important, it’s going to make state-of-the-art care more convenient for all of Central Florida,” Randy Haffner, president and CEO of AdventHealth’s Central Florida Division, said. “We’ve assembled a world-class team of clinicians who will transform the way we deliver care in orthopedics, neuroscience, and a whole range of specialties.”At 12 stories and 300,000 square feet (around 27,900 square meters), the building is a focal point for AdventHealth’s flagship campus, rising next to Interstate 4 near Princeton Street. It will serve as Florida headquarters for Rothman Orthopaedic Institute and bring a range of new and expanded services to the Orlando region.
“Since launching our partnership with AdventHealth in 2020, we’ve made great strides in expanding access to exceptional orthopedic care across Central Florida,” Daryl Osbahr, chief of orthopedic surgery for Rothman Florida and executive medical director of the AdventHealth Orthopedic Institute, said. “And when this building opens, we’ll be bringing expertise in a whole range of orthopedic subspecialties, including sports medicine, joint replacement, orthopedic oncology, trauma, and more.”
The building will house a variety of services and comprehensive outpatient care in one location, and will be the new home of AdventHealth’s Neuroscience Institute and Brain Health Program. Grouping orthopedic and neuroscience specialists in a single building will allow better collaboration between the specialists, yielding benefits to patients.
“We will have neurosurgeons and an array of sub-specialized neurologists in this state-of-the-art facility, which will give our patients greater access to nationally leading physicians and experts to treat a whole range of conditions,” Christopher Baker, of Orlando Neurosurgery, said.
The building and expanded services are a major step forward in the evolution of the 172-acre Health Village campus. Health Village — the home of AdventHealth Orlando, AdventHealth for Women, and AdventHealth for Children — also includes centers of innovation and medical research, as well as residential, retail, dining, and lodging components.
The project is being developed and will be owned by health-care real estate services firm Meadows & Ohly in partnership with AdventHealth and physicians. Batson-Cook is the general contractor on the project. The tower is slated to open in late 2022.
The original version of this story was posted on the AdventHealth Central Florida resources site.