The German Construction Authority (LBB Weilerbach), with the US Army Corps of Engineers, Europe District and the US Defense Health Agency, awarded the contract, worth €859 million (approximately $969 million), to Züblin and Gilbane Joint Venture, which marks a significant milestone for the Rhine Ordnance Barracks Medical Center Replacement (ROBMCR) project, designed by HDR.

The agreement includes construction of a modern 985,000-square-foot hospital featuring nine operating rooms, 120 exam rooms, and 68 beds with a surge capacity of 25 additional beds. Construction is expected to be completed in late 2027.

“We’re incredibly proud of our team’s contribution to achieve this critical milestone, which will enable us to provide our service members and their families with the best facility modern medicine has to offer,” said US Army Corps of Engineers’ Europe district commander Col. Patrick Dagon.

The German Construction Authority is executing this large-scale project through a partnering process, which involved construction industry expertise during the design phase. The contract award to Züblin and Gilbane Joint Venture, a partnership of leading construction firms, means the project will benefit from both a German and US perspective on project quality, schedule, and cost requirements.

When the new medical campus opens, it will replace and co-locate the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, constructed in 1953, and the 86th Medical Group Clinic to become the largest US medical centre on foreign soil. It will provide primary care, specialised consultative care, hospitalisation and treatment for more than 200,000 US military personnel, DoD, and interagency civilians and dependents in Europe.

The Medical Center will serve as the only forward-stationed evacuation and treatment centre for injured US service members, civilians and contractors serving in Central & Southwest Asia, Europe and Africa, and provide critical medical support for seven combatant commands. When completed, the new hospital will employ around 2500 people.

Large-scale collaboration

“The Defense Health Agency looks forward to the completion of the new Medical Center at Rhine Ordnance Barracks in 2027, which will continue to provide primary and specialty care for our beneficiaries around the world,” said Capt Mark Lieb, DHA division chief for facilities enterprise. “This project is truly a large-scale collaboration between the Defense Health Agency, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and the German Government.”

The latest contract represents the next and most significant phase of the campus construction, which already includes almost $200 million of recently completed hospital infrastructure work, such as a new access control point, bridge, utilities and roadways.

The German Government is contributing more than €151 million (about $180 million) for design and construction management.

“The US invested approximately €350m ($400m) annually in construction projects in the past few years, which are executed by the Federal Construction Administration,” said Sören Bartol, Parliamentary State Secretary in Germany’s Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Construction.

“This demonstrates the excellent reputation the German Construction Administration enjoys with our international partners. Furthermore, these investments boost Germany’s economy and preserve jobs in economically distressed regions.”

LBB Weilerbach director Bettina Bachem commented: “The German Construction Authority is proud to be responsible for the design and implementation of this unique project for the US Forces. It’s truly a once-in-a-lifetime project.”