University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center, Beachwood, Ohio
Posted
02/9/2012
Officially opened March 1, 2011, the new $298 million,
432,000-square-foot medical center includes
a seven-story, 144-bed hospital and a three-story
medical outpatient building. The medical center was designed to
garner attention and incorporate an innovative theory of
"evidence-based" design in which scientific research was
incorporated to better serve patients and promote healing in a
guest-centered environment.
University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center was awarded a LEED New
Construction 1099 (NCv2009) Silver certification-giving it the
distinction of being the first health care facility in the United
States to receive certification under this version of higher and
more stringent sustainable requirements. Among the many green
building methods incorporated in the medical center are the use of
bio-swales and bio-retention basins to manage on-site stormwater, a
plan to reduce energy through metering and monitoring, installation
of photovoltaic panels on the roof, and the selection of
sustainable and eco-friendly materials to provide a healthy indoor
environment.
"University Hospitals wanted a unique, modern structure," says
Seth Meltzer, AIA, vice president in the Richmond, Va., office of
HKS Inc., and project architect. "They wanted a signature-type
project to serve as this community's hospital. This design also was
integral to an overall response to patient needs, including patient
flow and sight lines."
The hospital features a seven-story curved curtainwall filled
with glass and accent bands fabricated from 3A Composite USA Inc.'s
Alucobond Aluminum Composite Material. Alucobond also clads a large
portion of the medical center's exterior walls in combination with
rain-screened terra cotta ceramic tile. Both interior and exterior
columns and beams are covered in Alucobond ACM as well as the
entryway canopies. Royalton Architectural Fabrication Inc.
fabricated a total of 95,970 square feet of 4-mm-thick Alucobond
PVDF-2 in custom Ahuja Crystal for the medical center. The
Alucobond was installed with Royalton's Royaltech 200A wet-seal
panel system by Carroll Glass Co.
The sweeping-curve design provides a visually striking exterior
and makes the building interior easy to navigate, reducing foot
traffic and improving patient sight lines to staff. Additionally,
the curved design reduces wind and traffic noise from nearby
Interstates 271 and 480 while offering panoramic views of the
53-acre park-like campus setting that includes protected
wetlands.
"This project posed a number of challenges, especially with the
hospital's large radius design and its grandiose two-story
entrance," notes Stefan Winkler, president, Royalton Architectural
Fabrication. "The panels were incorporated into the glazing in the
window system and had to fit like a glove."
Wall panels were field measured and fabricated by elevation as
the buildings were being constructed, according to Winkler. The
hospital is expected to expand through the years to 600 beds with
the new seven-story tower serving as the first of three planned
towers, according to Meltzer.
Construction manager: Gilbane Building Co.,
Cleveland
Design architect: HKS Inc., Richmond, Va.
Corporate architect/interior
designer: Array Healthcare Facilities Solutions Inc., King
of Prussia, Pa.
Metal fabricator: Royalton Architectural
Fabrication Inc., North Royalton, Ohio
Installer: Carroll Glass Co., Euclid, Ohio
Metal wall panels: 3A Composites USA Inc.,
Mooresville, N.C., www.alucobondusa.com