Patients, medical teams, staff, visitors, and the surrounding communities benefit from quality health care and facilities. In addition to medical services and treatments, the facilities themselves can support a positive, personal experience within a welcoming, calm, safe, and healing environment.
Hospitals, clinics, and other medical buildings with high-performance aluminum windows, fenestration, and framing systems combine an appealing, inviting appearance with daylight, outdoor views, indoor comfort, security, and energy efficiency. This blend of aesthetics, performance, and sustainability has proven advantages for patient outcomes, staff retention, and community resiliency.
For generations, people have understood the healing benefits of daylight and biophilia—the concept of humans’ connection to nature. Effectively incorporating natural and naturally inspired elements, health care facilities use biophilic design principles to create encouraging and comforting spaces where patients, staff, and visitors can recover and recharge. Window views, natural light, and noise mitigation are essential to designing a home-like atmosphere for today’s medical, therapeutic spaces.
The advantages of aluminum window systems
Windows and framing systems create large openings for outdoor views and daylight. Manufactured with insulating thermal barriers, the systems’ aluminum framing reduces energy and sound transmission to create comfortable indoor temperatures and calm, quiet spaces. The thermally broken framing also enhances condensation resistance. Reducing moisture on the interior surface minimizes mold, mildew, and the growth of microorganisms, further contributing to air quality, cleanliness, and occupant health. Good air quality is essential for children, seniors, and people with chronic illnesses.
Aluminum’s versatility accommodates nearly any shape or size of opening. Framing profiles and panning can be extruded, formed, and finished to suit every architectural style—from historically accurate matches to innovative, modern concepts. Providing a single-source solution for customers, these systems assist health facilities in achieving goals and ensuring lasting value for their communities.
When window, curtain wall, window wall, storefront, entrance, and sunshade systems are engineered for compatibility as part of a complete building envelope solution, it helps save time and hassle. Straightforward installation supports cost and labor efficiencies on the job site for faster project delivery. For example, glazing contractors can install window products from either the exterior or interior, with a choice of receptors, anchors, and other hardware. This flexibility allows other trades to move ahead with their work concurrently and progress quickly toward a weather-tight envelope.
Testing and requirements
Communities depend on these essential health facilities for physical safety and security, and to remain operational under the worst circumstances. In health care settings, window and framing products often must meet the high-performance levels necessary for such stringent requirements as:
- California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI), Office of Statewide Hospital Planning and Development (OSHPD) Building Standards Unit
- Florida Product Approval (FPA)
- New York State Office of Mental Health (NYS-OMH)
- U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)
- U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Interagency Security Committee (ISC)
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Windows, fenestration, and framing systems should also be tested for air and water resistance, structural integrity, condensation resistance, and thermal cycling as standards. Where heightened security is required, these systems undergo additional testing to demonstrate resistance to hurricanes, seismic events, forced entry, active shooters, and blast hazards. Experienced window and framing system manufacturers’ in-house technical assistance teams support project-specific criteria, analyzing unique factors to ensure compliance with each job.
For coastal areas and regions affected by powerful storms, impact-resistant windows protect against windborne flying debris and wind-driven rain. FPA ensures products perform as required for some of the most demanding environments. These products are engineered and tested to meet the Florida Building Code’s impact and cycling requirements, using relevant Testing Application Standards (TAS) and ASTM standards.
Blast hazard mitigating systems harden facilities against man-made emergency events and meet specified testing levels for the VA, DoD, and GSA. Window and framing systems can be tested in accordance with ASTM, ISC, and UFC 4-1010-0 Minimum Antiterrorism Standards for Buildings.
Interior framing systems can maintain line of sight with transparent separation and added security for patients, medical teams, staff, and visitors at main entrances, check-in and waiting rooms, pharmacies, behavioral care spaces, and transitional zones.
Unlike conventional situations, windows in behavioral and psychiatric specialty care facilities must be designed to withstand high interior impacts, contain patients and restrict their passage to unauthorized areas, or delay and frustrate escape attempts. These windows typically are specified as fixed units with insulated, laminated double or triple glazing and integral, between-glass blinds.
For behavioral care spaces, windows tested to meet AAMA 501.8 standards are subjected to 2.7 kJ (2,000 lb) of energy, as imparted by the human impact “drop test” apparatus, to simulate the shoulder impact of a 90.7 kg (200-lb) person moving at 7.62 m/s (25 ft/s).
When existing windows are weather-tight, aluminum interior accessory windows (IAWs) provide an economical solution to enhance sound, energy, air, light control, and human impact resistance. In new construction, IAWs can be added to a curtain wall or storefront for integral blinds, or for interior impact performance in hurricane or blast applications.
Further considerations
In addition to creating safe, comfortable, and clean facilities, accommodation for patients of all abilities and recovery stages must be considered. Windows and doors are available with a variety of accessible hardware. Where operable windows are allowed, and regional climates and seasonal conditions are suitable, natural ventilation can provide an option for emergency ventilation and fresh air.
Vents and operable windows can be integrated with high thermal-performance
curtain walls and storefronts and paired with aluminum sunshades as part of a sustainable building envelope design. These intentional architectural elements help reduce solar heat gain and the corresponding cooling demands, improving energy efficiency, lowering emissions, saving on utility costs, and fostering comfortable interiors.
High-performance, finished aluminum windows and framing systems also withstand the continuous operation and high-traffic needs of health care and medical facilities. Durable anodized and painted finishes provide long-lasting protection for aluminum in colorful design choices. Under environmentally responsible, quality-controlled factory conditions, zero- and low-VOC (volatile organic compound) finishes further contribute to a project’s healthy indoor environment.
For aluminum window, door, and framing systems, a high recycled-content aluminum billet composition with
eco-friendly finishes can be specified. The protective finishes minimize maintenance and repairs, and the aluminum material can be locally recycled at the end of its long life on the building.
Supporting thoughtful material choices, many window and framing product manufacturers offer environmental product declarations (EPDs), approval through the National Fenestration Rating Council’s Component Modeling Approach (NFRC CMA) Product Certification Program and Living Building Challenge Red List Free Declare Labels. These documented performance-based attributes also may assist health care projects seeking certification through the United States Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED rating system and other sustainability and wellness programs.
From energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality to durability and disaster preparedness, these essential buildings, when combined with aluminum window systems, are optimally suited to nurture positive patient outcomes, staff well-being, and community resilience.
Lisa May is the director of preconstruction and architectural services for Alumicor, EFCO Tubelite, and Wausau Window and Wall Systems brands of Apogee Architectural Metals. For 20 years, she has assisted architects, contractors, and building teams with aluminum fenestration and framing product selections. She regularly shares her knowledge and industry expertise as an author, a continuing education presenter, and a member of the Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA), the National Glass Association (NGA), and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). She can be reached at lmay@apog.com.
