A long-awaited University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH) expansion is closer to reality. University officials selected HDR and FBT Architects to design the 580-bed hospital in Albuquerque, N.M., part of a multi-phase, multi-year project to serve the communities of New Mexico. HDR and FBT Architects completed a Replacement Hospital Master Development Plan in 2016 with additional updates in 2018 and 2019.

UNMH is the state’s only Academic Medical Center and houses New Mexico’s only Level 1 trauma center, children’s hospital, and burn unit. In addition to its role as the state’s primary source of tertiary care, UNMH is the region’s safety-net hospital caring for a disproportionate share of New Mexico’s uninsured and under-insured population. According to report in the Daily Lobo, current estimates are that the first phase of the expansion will cost about $385 million in construction costs.