UC Health Longs Peak Hospital

The new University of Colorado Health hospital has 51 inpatient beds and 49 shelled beds (room for 100 total), an intensive care unit, a 15,000 sq. ft. surgery center, and an emergency department. There is also advanced cardiology services and a birth center.

“Every detail of our vision for Longs Peak Hospital has taken shape – both inside and out,” comments hospital President and CEO Dan Robinson at the opening event. “[This] state-of-the-art facility that will not only meet our community’s growing health care needs of today but also will be able to grow with the community in the future.”

Structural complexity includes a long span "flying" roof that incorporates a unique structural bracing system. The roof actually performs as a horizontal Vierendeel truss in combination with a set of mirrored catenary shaped pipes to mitigate horizontal movement. This roof has become a branding element for the hospital system.

For the structural steel system, we developed logical details that simplified creating recessed floors in various portions of the building. Earthquake resistance was provided by our introduction of X-braces in locations that minimized impact on the function. We determined that this provided a complete yet more economical option, rather than a moment connection system.