$52 million is needed to replace faulty windows at the Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Why?

Longterm safety, durability concerns and a shuttered playground have motivated the University of Iowa to seek a “near-total” window replacement at the 14-story Stead Family Children’s Hospital.

The University of Iowa received Board of Regents approval on Thursday to increase the project budget, which first started in 2023, from $45 million to $52.5 million—a 16 percent jump. The project addresses ongoing issues with window cracking and delamination that have persisted since the hospital’s completion eight years ago.

The most recent proposal now includes plans to replace the eight slot windows that span the entire length of the 14-story hospital. In 2021, the Regents approved spending $10 to $15 million to replace the windows on levels four and five at the then 4-year-old facility.

The board moved to replace the windows on levels three through 11 as well as the “connector bridge” to the John Pappajohn Pavillion for $45 million during its 2023 February meeting. The project is being funded by University Hospitals Building Usage Funds.

The Corridor Business Journal reported that the children’s hospital has more than 900 windows, many of which look over Kinnick Stadium for the popular University of Iowa football “wave.”

What’s wrong with the windows at the children’s hospital?

The University of Iowa hired consultants to investigate the windows. The consultants identified additional concerns with the conditions of the current slot windows and recommended a full replacement.

“During continued active monitoring, additional concerns regarding the performance of the slot windows have been identified that warrant replacement of all these windows to maintain both safety and building envelope integrity,” according to board documents.

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The (approved) project includes:

• Replacing patient room windows on levels three through 11

• Replacing windows on the Connector Bridge

• Adding eight nine-story columns of exterior slot windows

• Addressing safety concerns related to cracking and delamination

• Ensuring the structural integrity of and weatherproofing of the building

The playground at the base of the children’s hospital has been closed since 2022 as a precautionary measure, according to the Corridor Business Journal.

In a communication sent to patients and their families from Bradley Haws , CEO of University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, assured how the hospital is committed to safety during the ongoing construction.

“While you may see us actively monitoring and replacing windows here at University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, there is no cause for concern,” Haws said. “A team continues to monitor the windows, so you may occasionally see workers outside. As an added safety measure, fencing has been installed as work happens above.”

Window replacement began in 2023 and is expected to last for much of 2026.

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University of Iowa sues a pair of contractors tasked with building hospital

The University of Iowa claimed a pair of contractors are to blame for installing faulty windows at its $392.7 million children’s hospital.

The University of Iowa sued Cupples Construction of Normal, Illinois, and Knutson Construction of Iowa City in 2022, five years after the building was completed. In the lawsuit, the university claimed that both defendants breached their contracts by failing to provide insulated glass units (IGUs) that met performance standards, including resistance to wind, heat, and impact loads. The university said the windows had “systemic defects” as a result of “absent mitigation and stabilization efforts” by the contractors that caused “potentially life-threatening” conditions.

The University of Iowa said the issues were not discovered until the building was finished. The school, according to the lawsuit, said they installed a “protective film” and “clips” on the outside of each window to prevent broken glass from falling on patients or staff should the windows break.

The university also claimed that many of the windows showed signs of cracking and delamination and that they observed “blemishes” on the “coating surface” on almost 40 percent of the windows. University of Iowa officials said the defective windows could not be repaired and instead needed to be replaced by the contractors.

The case went to arbitration in September 2022 and received a court extension for a scheduled trial in 2024. The case never made it to trial and was dismissed last month “without prejudice,” meaning that the University of Iowa can refile at a later date.

Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and education reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at JRish@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rishjessica_

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Nearly all the windows at the UI Children’s Hospital need replaced