The Mercyhealth Riverside Campus hospital project is making an impact in more than just the healthcare sector. Students currently pursuing Construction Management degrees at Illinois State University visited the active construction site late September for a first-hand experience.

About 30 aspiring construction management professionals were given an overview of Mortenson’s rich history before watching a short video documenting the progress made on the hospital so far. The students were then taken on a tour of the site, where they could directly see the application of various methods, materials, and procedures that they had minimal first-hand exposure to prior to their visit.

“Many of the students who visited the project had never been on a construction site of this magnitude,” said Assistant Project Manager and ISU alumnus, Michael Krueger. “When I was in school, we were able to visit various project sites, but nothing to this scale.”

The visit was a resounding success, as the students expressed a vested interest in Mortenson’s safety culture and strategies. The use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the field was particularly intriguing to the students, who found Mortenson’s sophisticated, innovative use of this technology to be unique and impactful.

The rare experience of witnessing a high profile construction project in action sparked excitement within the students about their futures in the industry. The group is in talks to return to the site in the spring to see the progression.

This new facility is being built by Mortenson and designed by AECOM and consists of a six-story, 451,000 square foot hospital and a five-story, 81,500 square foot clinic. It is the largest construction project in Rockford’s history and is scheduled for substantial completion in January 2019.