Updated October 3, 2025

The hospital foundation is now complete and the very first pieces of steel for the new hospital were erected on 10/1/25. This section of the hospital will eventually house the Emergency Department and the Cath Lab. Some of the columns weigh 24.5 tons and 33.5 tons!

The new San Jose Hospital Tower deploys a Bolted SidePlate steel moment frame. One of the first of its kind in acute care facilities, this cutting-edge technology provides the strength and resilience to withstand the high seismic hazards of the region. The large steel plates seen in the photographs—up to 3” thick—provide a stiffening effect to the steel connections, ensuring that the hospital not just remain safe following an earthquake, but be fully operational so that it can immediately serve our members.

The entire system is bolted together on-site. Unlike previous generations of the technology, this process eliminates the need for on-site welding, which speeds up construction and brings heightened quality assurance to the steel erection process. (see images below)