The develoment involves the construction of two clinical towers that would account for 1.5 million sf of space--that is, if the Maryland Health Care Commission signs off on the project and if Hopkins does not change the size of the buildings due to financial concerns brought on by increasingly exorbitant steel prices.

When construction reaches completion, one building will feature a cardiovascular and critical care tower with 320 beds and 44 operating suites, and the second will contain the children's and maternity hospital with 205 beds, 10 operating suites, and labor and delivery rooms. Several older buildings, including a parking structure for 2,000 vehicles and a laundry facility, had to be demolished to make room for the new developments, which are being designed by architectural firm Perkins & Will.

The two structures are actually part of a greater $1-billion expansion endeavor envisioned by the hospital. Scheduled to take place in phases over a 10-year period, the plan calls for a total of 2.2 million sf of space that would include--in addition to the new medical facilities--800 dorm rooms, the enlarging of three schools and an increase in the campus's open green space.