Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center
A model for community-centered health
Project Facts
| Location | Washington, District Of Columbia |
| Owner | Universal Health Services, Inc. |
| Size | 360,000 SF |
| Cost | $375 million |
| Status | Completed 2025 |
| Capacity | 136 beds |
Overview
Walter P Moore provided structural engineering services for Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center, the first full-service hospital built in Washington, D.C. in over 25 years. Built on a steep hillside with significant infrastructure constraints, the project required careful coordination to protect adjacent transit, limit excavation, and maintain community access. The facility expands access to critical healthcare services in an underserved area while supporting long-term flexibility in care delivery.
Services
Challenges
Site Constraints
The team needed to accommodate the requisite patient beds and hospital functions while minimizing excavation, protecting an adjacent Metro tunnel, maintaining sidewalks and bus access, and meeting height limits from a nearby flight path.
Future Flexibility
The structure needed to support evolving care models, large medical equipment, and open floor plates that allow for future reconfiguration.
Phased Construction
The building was constructed in full-height partial segments to reduce disruption to nearby transit routes, creating temporary structural conditions that had to be carefully analyzed to maintain stability throughout construction.
Solutions
Coordinated Layouts
Working with Delon Hampton & Associates, the team coordinated foundation design and setbacks to avoid disruptions to the Metro tunnels and evaluated more than two dozen building layouts to reduce excavation while meeting program requirements.
Design Optimization
The team implemented moment frames as the primary lateral system and developed a digital tool to evaluate thousands of layout options, which helped to support flexible floor plates and improve constructability.
Phased Analysis
Walter P Moore analyzed lateral performance at each stage of construction and confirmed the building could remain stable without temporary bracing, allowing construction to proceed without disrupting adjacent transit operations.
Results
Expanded Access
Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center reduces travel time for emergency and time-sensitive care for residents in Wards 7 and 8 and increases access to maternity, trauma, pediatric, and neonatal services.
Long-term Adaptability
The structural system creates open floor plates with fewer columns, allowing the facility to adapt to future changes in care delivery without major structural modifications.
Streamlined Delivery
Custom digital tools for automated comparison of steel shop drawings reduced review time by more than 50% and supported a more efficient construction process.
Maintained Connectivity
Structural coordination and phased construction minimized disruption to transit, pedestrian routes, and surrounding community access.
Project Team Leaders
