University Hospital, part of the Wexner Medical Center Campus, will receive the 2026 Building Columbus award. Credit: Grace Everett | Lantern Reporter

After Kristin Poldemann’s mother spent two days in the Ohio State University Hospital, Poldemann said she had to remind her mom it was not a rest-and-relaxation trip.?

She sent photos from her hospital bed of the view, including the sunset outside of her window, Poldemann said.?

“I’m like, you’re not on vacation, mom,” said Poldemann, associate vice president for Facility Design and Construction at Ohio State.?

The Ohio State University Hospital will receive the Project of the Year award at the 2026 Building Columbus Awards on Oct. 28 at the Hilton Columbus Downtown for its design, collaboration and community impact, according to Ohio State’s Facilities Design and Construction website.?

The Building Columbus Awards honor projects across Central Ohio that contribute to the region’s growth, the city skyline and that preserve historic buildings, Columbus Business First said in a press release.?

The award, presented annually from Building Columbus Awards, recognizes projects that demonstrate an excellence in development, construction and design that also leaves an impact on the Columbus community, per an Ohio State website.

University Hospital opened on Feb. 22, with 425 patients moved into the 820 rooms, according to an Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center press release.?

The 26-story hospital expansion is the largest single-facility construction project in Ohio State’s history measured at 1.9 million square feet, according to the press release.?

Ohio State broke ground in September 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when uncertainty caused many construction projects to be delayed, said Ragan Fallang, executive project manager for Facilities Design and Construction.?

The decision to continue with the project was a difficult one for the Ohio State Board of Trustees, but was influenced by the need for the University Hospital after the pandemic, Fallang said.?

After breaking ground, the Facilities Design and Construction team prioritized developing a strong working relationship between Ohio State, engineers, architects and contractors, Poldemann said.?

The size of the project made collaboration important, with upwards of 150 firms and 1,200 tradespeople at the site every day for over a year, Fallang said.?

“It was just at such a scale that you really had to rely on your team members,” Fallang said. “Nobody could really have a good handle on everything that was going on because there was just so much of it.”?

The team created a process for identifying and responding to problems, discussing potential risks and working through possible scenarios before they occurred, Poldemann said.?

“It’s a beautiful thing when you get an agreement and everybody understands how we need to behave through this,” Poldemann said. “I think that was one of the main things for me that really stood out.”

The hospital’s design focused on patient care and needs, Fallang said.?

The building has 9-by-9-foot windows that give patients natural light and views of the outside, Fallang said.?

Staff supply rooms and offices are located in different hallways from patient rooms, separating staff activities from patient rooms, Fallang said.?

Individual rooms also have a 75-inch digital footwall that displays a television and information about their individual disease and treatment, Fallang said.?

The television also provides multilingual options and allows patients to connect with loved ones outside of the hospital, Fallang said.?

“It can connect with loved ones,” Fallang said. “You can have your loved one who’s still back home in another part of the state and they can dial in and understand what’s happening for rounds with your lead clinicians.”?

Poldemann said her mother’s experience demonstrated how the hospital was designed to keep patients’ needs in mind.

Her mother told Poldemann that she was comfortable and did not hear beeping in the hallways from the machines, Poldemann said.?

“She goes, ‘You know, it dawned on me that as I’m sleeping, I’m comfortable,’” Poldemann said. “‘I don’t hear beeping in the hallways.’”

University Hospital was completed ahead of schedule and under budget, Fallang said.?

After the hospital opened, its beds reached almost 85% occupancy by admissions and moving patients within a short period, Fallang said.?

The hospital was also designed to serve patients beyond Central Ohio as the region grows and health care needs? continue to increase, Fallang said.?

More than one-third of the patients they treat come from beyond Franklin County and its surrounding counties, Fallang said.

“It supports patients from across all of Ohio’s 88 counties, many of whom come to Ohio State because they require the most specialized and complex care available,” Fallang said. “That’s the function that the Wexner Medical Center can serve.”