When global architectural firm HKS met with ProMedica to discuss the regional health system’s plans to consolidate 11 physician practices into its new Health and Wellness Center in Sylvania, Ohio, the medical provider made its expectations clear: the building needed to foster connectivity, flexibility and a sense of place within the community. Solarban® 72 solar control low-e glass by Vitro Glass, featuring an ultra-transparent Starphire® glass substrate, was integral to achieving that mandate.
HKS and a multidisciplinary team from ProMedica mapped out existing processes and defined a future operational mode in which more effective and collaborative care could be delivered. The result is a state-of-the-art, three-story, 230,000-square-foot structure. With 23 interconnected standard clinic modules, the center is designed for ease of movement for patients, staff and supplies. It also delivers the personal environment the ProMedica team desired, along with the flexibility to expand and contract to meet evolving space demands.
To enhance the sense of connection and complement its open concept design, HKS created two exposed-to-the-elements courtyards and a glass atrium that flood the gallery space with natural light and provide visual access to the outdoor environment. The firm chose Solarban® 72 solar control low-e glass specifically to maximize the effects of that natural light and to provide a calm, healing aesthetic to patients.
Doug Dewar of glass fabricator Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope’s (OBE) Perrysburg, Ohio, location said Vitro Glass easily accommodated the above-average amount of glass needed for the job—more than 60,000 square feet—and credits the Vitro Concierge Program™ for keeping the project on track. “Everything went smoothly. The glass sizes were requested in phases, and once we called Vitro with an order, the glass would be on our floor virtually on a just-in-time basis,” Dewar explained.
“The Vitro Concierge Program gave us the flexibility to bring in the glass when we needed it. Knowing that the glass was readily available helped us schedule our manufacturing and service our customer in a timely fashion,” added Dewar, who works at OBE’s Perrysburg, Ohio, location.
Solarban 72 glass provides higher levels of transparency than Solarban 70XL glass without sacrificing solar control performance. With a triple-silver coating that is engineered for use on Starphire Ultra-Clear® glass, Solarban 72 glass has visible light transmittance of 71 percent in a standard 1-inch insulating glass unit, which is 11 percent higher than Solarban 70XL glass.
The ProMedica Health and Wellness Center, which opened in 2016, received an honorable mention in the 2016 Healthcare Design Showcase.
To learn more about Solarban 72 glass, Starphire glass and other high-performance glass products by Vitro Glass, visit www.vitroglazings.com.
Related Stories
Sponsored | | May 3, 2014
Fire-rated glass floor system captures light in science and engineering infill
In implementing Northwestern University’s Engineering Life Sciences infill design, Flad Architects faced the challenge of ensuring adequate, balanced light given the adjacent, existing building wings. To allow for light penetration from the fifth floor to the ground floor, the design team desired a large, central atrium. One potential setback with drawing light through the atrium was meeting fire and life safety codes.
| Apr 25, 2014
Recent NFPA 80 updates clarify fire rated applications
Code confusion has led to misapplications of fire rated glass and framing, which can have dangerous and/or expensive results. Two recent NFPA 80 revisions help clarify the confusion. SPONSORED CONTENT
Sponsored | | Apr 23, 2014
Ridgewood High satisfies privacy, daylight and code requirements with fire rated glass
For a recent renovation of a stairwell and exit corridors at Ridgewood High School in Norridge, Ill., the design team specified SuperLite II-XL 60 in GPX Framing for its optical clarity, storefront-like appearance, and high STC ratings.
| Apr 8, 2014
Fire resistive curtain wall helps The Kensington meet property line requirements
The majority of fire rated glazing applications occur inside a building to allow occupants to exit the building safely or provide an area of refuge during a fire. But what happens when the threat of fire comes from the outside? This was the case for The Kensington, a mixed-use residential building in Boston.
| Apr 2, 2014
8 tips for avoiding thermal bridges in window applications
Aligning thermal breaks and applying air barriers are among the top design and installation tricks recommended by building enclosure experts.
Sponsored | | Mar 30, 2014
Ontario Leisure Centre stays ahead of the curve with channel glass
The new Bradford West Gwillimbury Leisure Centre features a 1,400-sf serpentine channel glass wall that delivers dramatic visual appeal for its residents.
| Mar 13, 2014
Austria's tallest tower shimmers with striking 'folded façade' [slideshow]
The 58-story DC Tower 1 is the first of two high-rises designed by Dominique Perrault Architecture for Vienna's skyline.
| Mar 7, 2014
Thom Mayne's high-tech Emerson College LA campus opens in Hollywood [slideshow]
The $85 million, 10-story vertical campus takes the shape of a massive, shimmering aircraft hangar, housing a sculptural, glass-and-aluminum base building.
| Feb 27, 2014
12 facts about heat-treated glass: Why stronger isn’t always better
Glass is heat-treated for two reasons: the first is to increase its strength to resist external stresses such as wind and snow loads, or thermal loads caused by the sun’s energy. The second is to temper glass so that it meets safety glazing requirements defined by applicable codes or federal standards.
| Feb 27, 2014
PPG earns DOE funding to develop dynamically responsive IR window coating Technology aims to maintain daylighting, control solar heat gain
PPG Industries’ flat glass business has received $312,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop a dynamically responsive infrared (IR) window coating that will block heat in the summer to reduce air-conditioning costs and transmit solar heat in the winter to reduce heating costs.
