Messer Wins Build America Award for UC Health Emergency Department and Surgical Building

We’re proud to share we received a Build America award for UC Health’s $162.5 million Emergency Department and Surgical Building—the largest construction effort in the history of the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. The award, sponsored by Construction Risk Partners, was announced March 21 at the AGC Annual Convention in San Diego, California.  

“It was a privilege to lead such a transformational project for the community that showcases UC Health’s commitment to elevating the standards of emergency care,” said Messer Vice President Pete Bergman. “We were able to stay on schedule during the pandemic while managing complex site logistics and minimizing disruptions to ongoing patient care, which is a testament to the teamwork that prevailed on this project.” 

Key partners included Cannon Design, Heapy Engineering, Hplex Solutions, The Kleingers Group, THP Limited, Architectural Glass & Metal Co., Denier Electric, The Nelson Stark Company, TJ Dyer and Valley Interior Systems. 

 The emergency department—the sole Adult Level 1 Trauma Center in the region—was completed in May 2023. It features 32 patient rooms, 10 shock resuscitation units, four triage rooms, 10 nurse stations, a FLEX ICU (one of three of its kind in the United States), an expanded canopy to accommodate nine ambulances, and a garden inspired by the seven hills of Cincinnati. The 4-story surgical building adds eight state-of-the-art operating rooms, 13 perioperative exam rooms and 12 post-anesthesia care unit pods.  

 “The UC Medical Center Emergency Department isn’t just a medical facility; it is a beacon of hope and healing for the entire Cincinnati community. The ED itself is the culmination of a fabulous collaboration between care givers, designers, architects and construction management teams that has created a space which allows this dedicated team to define a new standard of healthcare, one patient at a time,” said Arthur M. Pancioli, MD, Richard C. Levy Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the UC College of Medicine and a UC Health physician. 

 Forty-eight percent of total project spend was with more than 40 local minority- and women-owned subcontractors. Additionally, Messer implemented its UWDI Workforce Development Initiative (UWDI) in partnership with Easterseals Serving Greater Cincinnati/Building Value. UWDI works to break the cycle of poverty and build a pipeline of diverse talent in urban areas, with 20 sustainable careers created as part of the UC Health project. 

This marks the company’s fifth Build America award in the past eight years, and is the second consecutive year for a health care project.