The new wing at Virginia Hospital Center, a nonprofit teaching hospital, is a state-of-the-art development, but its hefty price tag involves more than just the new space. Before construction began, the hospital excavated an area of the property, and demolished 67,000 sf of existing buildings that had outlived their usefulness. Additionally, 94,000 sf of the existing hospital building underwent renovation.

What went up in place of the old wing is the new nine-level 436,000-sf tower containing an expanded emergency room, 219 patient beds, 70,400 sf of office space, operating rooms, 32,000 sf of medical offices, as well as outpatient services, and radiology and diagnostic imaging centers. The project also included the development of a six-level parking garage, completed last year, which can accommodate up to 1,100 vehicles. Bovis Lend Lease acted as the expansion program manager, while Gresham Smith and Partners served as the project architect.

As for the financing of the multimillion endeavor, the hospital relied on bonds issued through the Industrial Development Authority of Arlington County. In July, Fitch Ratings affirmed its "A" rating of the series 2001 bonds.