2025 Midwest Best Projects
Award of Merit, Health Care: Ascension St. Vincent Women and Infants Hospital
Ascension St. Vincent Women and Infants Hospital
Indianapolis
Award of Merit
Submitted by Pepper Construction
Owner: Medxcel
Lead Design Firm: CannonDesign
General Contractor: Pepper Construction of Indiana
Civil Engineer: Kimley-Horn
Structural/MEP Engineer: CannonDesign
After progress on this $165-million hospital stalled for a year under a previous contractor, Pepper Construction took over and implemented an integrated project delivery model and 90-day action plan that saw sitework kick off after just 60 days, leading to project completion in a little more than 22 months.
The result is an eight-story, 278,000-sq-ft hospital with 109 rooms that is Indiana’s first facility to offer couplet care, which allows high-risk mothers and their newborns to remain together during their stay.
Strategic prefabrication on 41% of the project and lean construction practices made this speed to market project possible. Prefab elements included exterior panels and key interior components, while a thermally broken cladding support system helped to boost energy performance by combining the structural integrity of steel with the thermal insulative properties of fiberglass. And as part of the project’s sustainability effort, the design incorporated regionally sourced, efficient materials throughout the facility. Crews also diverted more than 250 tons of waste from landfills.
Although the project was completed above the original $148-million budget, with a final cost of $165 million, this included additional owner-approved scope such as chilled water system utility management, hazardous waste disposal and generator installation.
Handling many interesting challenges, the team delivered the project on time in January 2025.
