Medicinal Metal Marvel Medical center prescribed metal for its success
The University of Arizona Medical Center South Campus Behavioral Health Pavilion and Crisis Response Center, Tucson, Ariz., meets the challenges of a complex interdisciplinary program, acute safety and security require- ments, demanding environmental conditions and a rigorous cost management agenda. Metal was the prescription that led to its success. Completed in July 2011 under budget at only
$187-per-square-foot, the 204,000-square-foot facility features two functionally inter-related buildings, a 96-bed psychiatric hospital and a crisis response center. Operating in tandem to serve multiple facets of behavioral care, the build- ings are organized around a shared service court providing secure access for medical staff, law enforcement, courtroom personnel, and patient and material transfers. Each building features layered zones for patients, staff, and visitors with dedicated circulation networks. Energy reduction was a primary sustainable
BUILDING AND ROOFING AWARDS BEST METAL BUILDING | LOW-RISE By Mark Robins, Senior Editor
strategy. Optimum building orientation, indigenous landscaping, locally produced building materials with high recycling content and careful glazing strategies promote a sustainable healing environment. Metal was selected to create a cost-effective
and durable exterior skin suitable for a university building, perform effectively in the hot, arid climate of southern Arizona. It could also provide refl ec- tive surfaces to minimize heat absorption. “The southern façade of the Behavioral Health Pavilion, clad in a beautiful ornamental metal design, sig- nifi cantly aids in the thermal management (shade) of the entire building,” says Mark Brown, LEED Green Associate, DPR Construction, Phoenix. “The building materials not only aid in the aesthetic, but assist the structure’s energy management.” Also, “a university building of this type has to
feel permanent and relate to its context,” says Carl Hampson, AIA, associate principal/design leader at Cannon Design, Los Angeles. “Metal was the most cost-effective and durable material that al-
lowed selection of colors and hues that evoke the desert surroundings. Cost was minimized on the exterior skin without compromising quality, giving more of the budget back to patient amenities. Metal is used on upper fl oors as a light material, while the base is expressed in concrete block.” Lightweight, perforated aluminum metal pan-
els made up the south façade’s fully cantilevered sunscreen system. They fi lter daylight reducing energy loads up to 30 percent and provide fully recyclable products that contribute to the proj- ect’s sustainable design goals. Bristol, Conn.- based Morin Corp. provided aluminum GAXC-12 concealed fastener panels in a Champagne Pearl Kynar fi nish that made up 80 percent of the exterior cladding. Moon Township, Pa.-based CENTRIA provided BR5-36 aluminum, 40 percent perforated wall panels coated in a Dark Bronze Kynar fi nish for approximately 14,000 square feet of coverage. The Kynar fi nishes are from Arkema Inc., King of Prussia, Pa.
Phototgraphy: Timothy Hursley and Bill Timmerman 20 METAL CONSTRUCTION NEWS December 2012 www.metalconstructionnews.com