Children's of Alabama Opens $400M Expansion

The Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children (BRHFC) in Birmingham, Alabama, opened for patient move-in on August 4, 2012. The opening marked the completion of construction on the 12-story, 760,000-square-foot, $400 million expansion at Children’s of Alabama, the state’s only freestanding pediatric hospital. 

HKS, Inc., in partnership with Giattina Aycock Studio, served as architect. KLMK Group was project manager; Hoar Construction, in partnership with KBR, served as construction manager. 

Located one block north of the existing facility, BRHFC will accommodate projected growth in patient volume, anticipated medical technology needs, and the planned consolidation of pediatric services, including cardiovascular surgery and comprehensive solid organ transplant care. The hospital is licensed for 332 beds plus 48 neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) bassinets. 

It is the largest single medical facility expansion project in the history of Alabama, and will make Children’s the third-largest pediatric hospital in the United States, as measured by square footage. The building is also the largest building project in state history to gain certification in LEED and will be the first LEED-certified hospital in Alabama. 

To support its mission to provide family-centered care, BRHFC offers private, acute care rooms that are 30% larger than the largest rooms in the present building and all-private rooms in critical care units. Each features a sleeper sofa, large wardrobe, and small safe for valuables, along with a special patient education/entertainment system. 

For more family convenience, each patient floor offers a laundry room and a kitchen equipped with a full-size refrigerator, microwave, and ice machine. Waiting areas at the end of the hallways provide natural light and sweeping views of the city, while 120 original works by Alabama artists decorate the public areas, adding to the family-friendly environment.