Patient-first care is alive and well at Jacobs Medical Center, a 509,000-square-foot, 245-bed medical and surgical specialty hospital that innovatively fuses together modern technology, forward-thinking design and a healing environment. The University of California San Diego (UCSD) Health System’s Jacobs Medical Center is distinguished by a gleaming, point-fixed structural glass façade—fabricated with Solarban® 70 glass (formerly Solarban® 70XL) on Starphire Ultra-Clear® glass by Vitro Architectural Glass—and a striking curvilinear form that reinforces patient-centered care prominently throughout its 10 stories. The freeform style of the building minimizes conventional right-angle corners and maximizes daylighting simultaneously, creating a natural flow and providing easier navigation for patient beds.
CannonDesign specified abundant use of transparent solar control low-e glass to give patients clear, scenic views of the surrounding hills and ocean. These soothing vistas, combined with plenty of natural daylight and glare and noise control, help create a healing, relaxing atmosphere. Although it met all performance requirements, the glass specification had to be adjusted to achieve another design objective, which required close collaboration between Vitro Glass and Northwestern Industries, Inc. (NWI), a Vitro Certified™ fabricator.
“Part of what makes this project so unique is the whitish exterior look the architect wanted the building to have,” explained Frank Forgione of NWI. “We worked with Vitro’s technical team testing various glass samples and mock-ups that could meet this requirement and still maintain the desired performance. Ultimately, we put a customized silk-screened white frit on Starphire Ultra-Clear® glass, which we then laminated on Solarban® 70 glass.”
This configuration was used extensively, including the 11-foot, 8-inch floor-to-ceiling windows in all patient rooms; the front-glazed, unitized curtain wall system; and spandrel shadow-box glazing. In all, more than 100,000 square-feet of glass was installed. To handle this volume and facilitate timely shipment of glass orders to ENCLOS, the glazing contractor, NWI used the Vitro Concierge Program™, which provides logistics management and customized coordination for projects of this size. By providing priority access to the glass, the Vitro Concierge Program™ helped to ensure the project stayed on schedule.
Formulated with the industry’s most advanced triple-silver coating engineered for use on Starphire Ultra-Clear® glass, Solarban® 70 glass has visible light transmittance (VLT) of 64 percent with a solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) of 0.27 and a light-to-solar gain (LSG) ratio of 1.85. This high performance, combined with the silk-screened white frit on Starphire® glass, helped the architectural firm achieve its design objectives and enabled the facility to earn LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification at the Silver level.
To learn more about Solarban® 70 glass or Starphire® glass by Vitro Architectural Glass, visit www.vitroglazings.com.
Related Stories
| Apr 3, 2012
AGC Glass to reopen shuttered plant
Shuttered since 2008, the plant produces clear and tinted float glass serving architectural glass markets.
| Apr 2, 2012
TGP launches new fire-rated glazing website
Website offers online continuing education courses registered with the American Institute of Architects (AIA), BIM 3D models, and rapid-response quoting, among other support tools.
| Mar 29, 2012
Roller shade operating system wins IF Product Design Award
Design experts in the iF jury recognized the engineering invested in the RB 500 Roller Shade, including a metal clutch with a patented construction, a durable zamac housing with polished finish, and a chain drive unit that excels in maximum operating comfort.
| Mar 16, 2012
Marvin Windows and Doors accepting entries for fourth-annual myMarvin Architect’s Challenge
Architects in U.S. and abroad offered the chance to showcase their very best work.
| Mar 13, 2012
Commercial glazer Harmon expanding into Texas
Company expanding into the Texas market with a new office in Dallas and a satellite facility in Austin.
| Mar 1, 2012
AIA: A clear difference, new developments in load-bearing glass
Earn 1.0 AIA/CES learning units by studying this article and successfully completing the online exam.
| Feb 29, 2012
Report says BIPV glass market to reach $6.4 billion by 2016
The report analyzes the opportunities for BIPV glass products using c-Si, thin-film and OPV/DSC materials and provides eight-year forecasts in terms of MW and square footage shipped as well as forecasts of revenue generated.
| Feb 16, 2012
Summit Design + Build begins build-out for Emmi Solutions in Chicago
The new headquarters will total 20,455 sq. ft. and feature a loft-style space with exposed masonry and mechanical systems, 15 foot clear ceilings, two large rooftop skylights and private offices with full glass partition walls.
| Feb 2, 2012
Fire rated glazing helps historic university preserve its past
When the University embarked on its first major addition since the opening of Hutchins Hall in 1933, preserving the Collegiate Gothic-style architecture was of utmost importance.
