One year into its ambitious Destination: Grand project, crews are transforming the landscape of Detroit’s medical district with a state-of-the-art hospital facility, expanded parking, and a first-of-its-kind renewable energy hub. The multi-billion-dollar development promises to reshape patient care and community access when it opens in 2029.
The centerpiece of the project is a 1.2 million-square-foot hospital featuring a new 20-story patient tower and an emergency department twice the size of the current one. Over the past year, crews have logged more than 183,000 work hours, poured 2,040 truckloads of concrete, and installed 6.2 million pounds of structural steel. Nearly 3,000 steel elements have already been erected. This summer, workers installed what is believed to be the largest rolled steel beam in the world as the foundation of the patient tower. Construction of the tower is expected to continue through spring 2026, with interior buildouts scheduled to begin in October 2025.
To match the scale of the new hospital, the project includes a 558,000-square-foot parking structure with more than 1,500 spaces, including 150+ ADA barrier-free spaces and 38 electric vehicle spots with charging stations. Crews have used nearly 1.5 million linear feet of rebar—enough to stretch round-trip from Detroit to Chicago—and poured 15,400 cubic yards of concrete, filling the equivalent of 4.5 Olympic-sized pools. Once complete, enclosed walkways will link the garage to both the new hospital and the existing cancer pavilion. The garage is set to open this winter for construction crews and will be available for patients, visitors, and staff when the hospital opens in 2029.
Sustainability is also a major focus. The four-story, 30,000-square-foot Central Energy Hub will power the new campus with an advanced hot and chilled water pump system, providing electric heating and cooling. A 70,000-gallon stormwater collection system will recycle rainwater into the cooling cycle, reducing reliance on city water. The hub is expected to be completed by early 2027, in time to support the final phases of hospital construction.
Behind the new hospital, a 185,000-square-foot Shared Services Building will house the kitchen, loading dock, and sterile processing units—vital functions that ensure smooth hospital operations. The site is currently being prepared for construction.
