McCANDLESS, PA-The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center has broken ground on a seven-story, 188,000-sf addition to its UPMC Passavant campus here. The construction cost is $100 million and the project is expected to reach completion in mid-2009.

The campus is upgrading to provide more of the services offered at UPMC's main campus in Oakland, according to a spokesman. They include private rooms, valet parking, and concierge and room services. All rooms will have windows, and the new building will add 88 beds, taking the hospital's total to 399.

Glass-enclosed walkways on each floor will connect the addition with the existing hospital. The main entrance will be reconfigured around the existing glass rotunda. Utilizing an airport concept of separating arrivals and departures, arriving patients will enter at the front of the hospital and discharged patients will leave through a separate dedicated area. A portion of the roof will contain green space, benches and trees for patients and families.