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
Curtain Wall | Nov 4, 2015
Curved glass curtains will give Washington, D.C., office building more views and floor space
Around 900 fluted glass panes will cover 2050 M Street, which will contain television studios for CBS.
Glass and Glazing | Oct 19, 2015
Safti First completes $6 million expansion in U.S. manufacturing operations
Being the first fully vertically-integrated fire rated glazing USA-manufacturer enables Safti First to provide the fastest lead times, most competitive prices and best coordination
Glass and Glazing | Sep 10, 2015
As commercial construction booms, glass supply is lagging demand
Manufacturers are frantically restarting plants they mothballed during the economic downturn.
BIM and Information Technology | Aug 28, 2015
MIT researchers develop 3D printer that produces intricate glass structures
The machine uses molten glass as its “ink,” contained in a “kiln cartridge” that heats up at 1,900 degrees until it is molten and pliable.
Sponsored | Glass and Glazing | Aug 17, 2015
Specialty tempered glass??
Tempered glass is an excellent choice for large expanses of glass that maximize clear views while providing significant wind load and thermal stress resistance.
Codes and Standards | Aug 6, 2015
AAMA updates methods for testing of exterior walls
The standard specifies test methods, specifications, and field checks to evaluate structural adequacy of exterior wall systems composed of curtain walls, storefronts, and sloped glazing.
Cultural Facilities | Jul 16, 2015
Louisville group plans to build world's largest disco ball
The sphere would more than double the size of the current record holder.
Glass and Glazing | Jun 4, 2015
Construction of record breaking glass-bottom bridge nearly complete in China
Designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan, the white bridge is meant to look as if it is “disappearing into the clouds.”