AdventHealth Aurora Highlands Medical Campus

Project Highlights:

AdventHealth is establishing the first medical campus within The Aurora Highlands, a 4,000‑acre master‑planned community south of Denver International Airport. Phase 1 delivers an 88,000‑square‑foot, three‑story facility featuring a freestanding emergency room with eight exam rooms, two trauma rooms, and a helipad; an outpatient imaging center offering CT, ultrasound, X‑ray and space for a future MRI; the 2^nd floor outpatient clinic includes 27 exam rooms a 2^nd X-ray and shell space reserved for future growth.

Built by Mortenson’s Denver team, the facility is heated and cooled by a geothermal energy system designed to significantly reduce carbon emissions and energy use—supporting AdventHealth’s pledge to cut onsite and purchased fossil fuel emissions by 50% by 2030. First patients are expected in Fall 2026, with long‑term plans to expand into a Level III trauma hospital as the region grows.

For patients, this project brings essential emergency and outpatient care dramatically closer to home. The Aurora Highlands is one of the fastest‑growing areas in the Denver metro, yet residents currently travel nine or more miles for emergency care—often through heavy E‑470 traffic during critical moments. By locating high‑acuity, whole‑person care directly within the neighborhood, the new campus improves response times, reduces stress on families, and streamlines access to diagnostics and specialty clinics in a single, convenient location.

For the broader community, the campus establishes a long‑term anchor for health and wellbeing at the center of a rapidly expanding development. Only about 35% of the site is used during Phase 1, with utilities, grading, and infrastructure strategically staged to support future services without disrupting ongoing operations. Mortenson’s Civil Infrastructure Team played a key role in the project’s efficiency by optimizing the site’s layout and avoiding over $1 million in soil import costs through strategic planning, reducing cost and reinforcing the project’s sustainable footprint. As the Aurora Highlands continues to grow, the campus will scale alongside it—transitioning from an essential ER and outpatient hub to a full trauma‑capable hospital when community demand warrants it.

Mortenson’s construction team has maintained strong momentum during the build, self‑performing 120,000 cubic yards of earthwork, over 4,700 cubic yards of concrete, and more than 7,000 feet of underground utilities—all delivered with zero self‑perform injuries. The result is a future‑ready medical campus that strengthens access, shortens emergency travel times, and gives families a reliable, locally rooted source of care as their community grows