Other greenrelated components in the hospital include water retention systems, roof gardens and enhanced mechanical systems. Solar tubes and the strategic placement of fritting on the glass façade alleviate the heat and glare of direct sunlight during the summer and channel light deeply into patient rooms to make them feel more spacious. Together, they yield an LSG ratio of 1.56, which is extraordinary for a tinted glass. Even with its rich aqua-blue color, Azuria® glass has a similar VLT of 61 percent in the same configuration, along with a SHGC of 0.39. The resulting 2.37 light-to-solar gain (LSG) ratio makes it one of the highest-performing products in the industry. Solarban® 70XL glass, which features Vitro’s proprietary triple-silver coating technology, has a visible light transmittance (VLT) of 64 percent and a solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) of 0.27 when combined with clear glass in a standard 1-inch insulating glass unit (IGU). “We chose glass products that would meet the current energy code then improve it by 10 percent,” Asteris explained. The curtain wall also is integral to the energy management system, which was designed to help the hospital achieve LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification. Three-component DURANAR® XL coatings in a custom “Seafoam Green” finish the metal panels that surround the emergency room entrance. As two-component fluoropolymer coatings flecked with mica, DURANAR® SUNSTORM® coatings bring understated brilliance and exceptional durability to the metal framing on the main curtain wall. To us, this just seems like common sense.” The jewel-like glitter of the hospital exterior is further enhanced by the application of DURANAR® XL and DURANAR® SUNSTORM® coatings by PPG. “Numerous studies confirm that natural light is conducive to creating learning and healing environments. “We believe this is a critical mission for the hospitals we design,” Asteris said. The goal with both products was to bring as much daylight as possible into occupied spaces. The aqua-blue appearance of Azuria® glass is complemented throughout the hospital by tall panels of clear Solarban® 70XL glass and in the skylights that top the soaring central atrium. That really helped us get the project back on track, as we were in danger of disrupting the schedule.” He came back using Azuria® with some spandrel tones and it had the color punch we were looking for. “By chance, a representative visiting our office saw the renderings and offered to help with some samples. “The glass we were originally looking at had a blue/gray tint and was coming off a bit flat,” Asteris said. A combination of glass and metal coatings products, including Solarban® 70XL glass by Vitro and DURANAR® XL and DURANAR® SUNSTORM® coatings by PPG, together with a timely recommendation for tinted Azuria® glass by Vitro, not only helped him achieve those aims, but enabled the project to stay on schedule too. The latest, a 450,000 square-foot addition, was designed to maintain the facility’s legacy of world-class treatment by drawing on the latest principles in health care design, including cozy, childfriendly patient rooms welcoming, amenityfilled spaces for families and caregivers healing gardens and large, open areas filled with abundant natural light.Īs lead architect for the project, Asteris sought to appropriate the “playful elegance” of the gardens surrounding the neighboring duPont family mansion by placing a vast atrium at the center of the hospital and designing a bright arborpatterned curtain wall for the exterior façade. Located in Wilmington, Del., Nemours/duPont hospital has undergone a series of expansions since its founding in the 1940s. A random discovery of Azuria® glass by Vitro coupled with the use of DURANAR® SUNSTORM® coatings by Vitro Alliance Partner, PPG Industrial Coatings, helped make that idea a reality. duPont Hospital for Children, his vision was to have the glass and metal framing mimic the protective framework of an arbor. When Paul Asteris of FKP Architects first conceived the signature façade of the newly expanded Nemours/Alfred I.
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