Swedish Healthcare Developer Expands Virginia Hospital

By Eric Althoff

ARLINGTON, Va.—Global healthcare development firm Skanska, based in Stockholm, Sweden, has agreed to provide renovation and expansion work at the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Va., located in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.

The $96 million addition project will entail the construction of a new outpatient pavilion as well as a parking garage. The six-story patient pavilion will feature such healthcare amenities as radiology and imaging suites, physical therapy examination and treatment rooms, a half-dozen operating rooms as well as areas for clinical examination.

Additionally, the new parking garage complex will feature three below-ground levels as well as six levels above grade. In total, the garage will be able to host 1,700 cars when it is completed.

Skanska’s timeline says that the construction work should be completed by the end of 2022 if all goes well.

Skanska has increased its presence in the city of Arlington within the past year. Last summer, the developer also purchased a property at 3901 North Fairfax Drive, which is located less than two miles from the Virginia Hospital Center. The property on North Fairfax is located in the so-called Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor, which Skanska described as “the epicenter of mixed-use development in Northern Virginia,” and which has pedestrian-ready access to nearby public transit as well as retail.

In addition to the Virginia Health Center, Skanska has performed work on other healthcare projects in the Old Dominion such as the University of Virginia Health System, University Hospital Expansion, which will entail 444,000 square feet of healthcare space when completed. Other U.S. healthcare projects for the company include the Abe’s Garden Alzheimer’s and Memory Care Center of Excellence in Nashville, the University of Washington Medical Center, Montlake Tower Expansion in Seattle and the Mercy Health, Rookwood Medical Center in Cincinnati.

Skanska, which employs nearly 8,000 people, reported sales of SEK 74 billion (approximately $8 billion USD) in 2019 alone. In addition to its American portfolio, the firm also maintains a portfolio in Scandinavia as well as in mainland Europe.