The window replacement project is for the University of Iowa Health Care’s Stead Family Children’s Hospital, which opened in 2017. Since then, “window issues have resulted in a near-total replacement effort,” according to the proposal.
These issues include cracking and delamination, or breakage of the adhesive between window layers. In 2021, the board approved UI Health Care to investigate the potential safety hazards and begin project planning. By February 2023, the health system received the green light to replace patient windows on levels three through 11 and a connector bridge for $45 million.
UI Stead Family Children’s is a 507,000-square-foot, 14-floor and 190-bed hospital in Iowa City.
During the construction project, consultants raised concerns about the hospital’s slot windows, which are tall, narrow windows primarily used to increase natural light exposure. The 16% project budget increase will be used to replace these windows “to maintain both safety and building envelope integrity,” the proposal says.
In 2021, the Iowa Board of Regents approved a plan to replace windows on levels four and five for $10 million to $15 million, according to the Iowa City Press-Citizen. The budget then tripled after workers found window issues on more floors.
The current construction project, which is funded by University Hospitals Building Usage Funds, is expected to last through 2026.
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