flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Sustainable, Award-winning Design gives New Life to Parkland Hospital

Sponsored Content Voice of the Brand

Sustainable, Award-winning Design gives New Life to Parkland Hospital

Built in 1954, the Dallas Parkland Hospital had become severely overcrowded and outdated. The largest public healthcare project in the country to be built in one phase, this AIA award-winning, LEED Gold project doubled the size of the old facility. This remarkable design incorporates over 4.5 acres of ALPOLIC MCM.


By ALPOLIC METAL COMPOSITE MATERIALS | June 5, 2023
New Parkland Hospital is an AIA award-winning LEED Gold certified building
The new 2.8M sqft Parkland Hospital campus inspires health and wellness with abundant natural light and greenery.

One of the largest public hospitals in the nation, and the largest public healthcare project in the country ever to be built in one phase, the new Parkland Hospital was a $1.3 billion investment in the greater Dallas area. Originally built in 1954, the facility had become severely overcrowded and functionally outdated by the turn of the new century. The ambitious healthcare project has become an expression of hope for the future health of the community. This AIA award-winning, LEED Gold certified building doubles the size of the old facility. It incorporates the most advanced design features to serve the needs of practitioners, patients and visitors. And it features a remarkable design adorned by more than 4.5 acres of ALPOLIC metal composite materials.

Remarkable design adorned by over 4 acres of ALPOLIC metal composite materials
6,500 panels of ALPOLIC/fr PEX Pewter Metallic complement the stone, concrete and the dramatic color gradient design.

Seamless collaboration propelled the project forward. Leading architectural firm Corgan partnered with renowned healthcare designers at HDR to take on the momentous undertaking. Nate DeVore, project architect for Corgan, describes, “It was a huge win for our firm and for HDR, and for the city of Dallas.” Ground was broken on the project in 2010, and the first patients were transferred from the old facility to the new one in the summer of 2015. Design and construction were done through a “fast-track” alliance between HDR+Corgan and BARA, a joint venture of Balfour Beatty Construction, Austin Commercial, H.J. Russell and Azteca Enterprises. Fast-track projects can be stressful, especially with so many contractors involved, but DeVore says, “The team worked together so seamlessly, it was really nice. I can’t say enough good things about those guys.”

 

MCM Details That Elevate a Sleek Design

As a complement to the extensive glazing, the hospital features almost 200,000 square feet of ALPOLIC®/fr metal composite material (MCM), in an NFPA 285-compliant fire-resistant wall system. The material was fabricated by NOW Specialties using their NOW 3100 route-and-return dry system. It's a gasketed design that requires virtually no maintenance - an important consideration in a 50-year building.

ALPOLIC MCM is also used in awnings and soffits as large as 200 by 200 feet and as high as the 10th floor, as well as in mullions and other details. DeVore is particularly proud of the way these details structure the experience of the building. “The whole idea of the glass and ACM was to keep this minimalist, sleek, clean design,” he explains. “It's a simple palette across the building, but we did little tricks to it to separate it from most other minimalist profiles.”

The new Parkland provides a 2.8 million-square-foot campus that houses state-of-the-art clinical facilities plus 862 single-patient rooms with private bathrooms and plenty of space for visitors. Among many features that contribute to a calm, healing stay are the abundant natural lighting, verdant wellness gardens and a unique hallway and elevator layout that keeps noisy clinical and housekeeping activities “off stage,” leaving patient areas calm and uncongested.

The exterior has been described as resembling two skyscrapers tipped over on their side and intersecting each other in an “L” formation. The acute care tower features a seven-story “panhandle” section that cantilevers over a second 10-story tower that houses the WISH: the women, infant and specialty hospital. DeVore explains that the design, “allows for natural daylight to get down into the NICU rooms below.”

It also opens up the flat surfaces of the building to provide an intriguing sense of dimensionality. The effect is heightened by a gradient of hues on the glass curtainwall that range from dark gray at the bottom to white at the top of the acute care building – giving the upper stories an almost weightless look as the structure rises from a massive base of native Texas limestone.

More glass is used to enclose the expansive lobby, with etching that forms a mural of deciduous trees in winter on one side and summer on the other – symbolizing growth and renewal with the passage of time. A closer look reveals that the tree branches are made up of the names of thousands of private donors who contributed to the project.

 

The Perfect Color, Perfectly Consistent

Choosing the ideal MCM color to complement the stone, concrete and the dramatic color gradient of the curtain wall glazing proved to be a challenge. The architects evaluated hundreds of samples before landing on PEX Pewter Metallic, an ALPOLIC standard color with a 20-year finish warranty. Incorporating a metallic base coat that DeVore says “sort of makes it shimmer and also helps to hide dirt.”

This project required about 6,500 panels in total and despite the sheer size of the project, Edgar Sanchez, who oversaw the project fabrication for NOW Specialties, recalls, “There were no problems with delivery, and the color match was phenomenal.” For optimum color consistency, it’s recommended to order metallic finishes like PEX in one batch for the entire job, or at least for any one elevation. Sanchez was thrilled that although this project required three batches, “We didn’t have any variations between batch one, two and three. We know in the industry, with a metallic color, you need to isolate that depending on the number of shipments and so on, but this was perfect.”

That level of consistency, performance and delivery is no surprise to DeVore. “ALPOLIC materials are in our master spec for a reason,” he says. “We trust them and we have a history with them. There are other products out there, but we’ve used ALPOLIC® materials in the past on several large products, and we know they can deliver. And it’s always a great look, a great outcome.”

Renowned for their quality and appearance, ALPOLIC metal composite materials are a top choice for architectural projects, especially hospital design. A perfect fit for heavy-use buildings like medical facilities, the diverse range of shapes and colors make MCM panels aesthetically desirable, allowing healthcare facilities to provide their patients and visitors with a more comfortable environment.

Explore the possibilities with ALPOLIC and order your free samples today.

ALPOLIC

1.800.422.7270
info@alpolic.com 
www.alpolic-americas.com

Related Stories

Sponsored | Voice of the Brand | Jul 2, 2020

Solving the Building Envelope Challenge

Today, solutions for the building envelope need to meet exacting standards on two equally important fronts – long-term performance and enduring aesthetic appeal. In this article, CENTRIA demonstrates how its products meet the standard in two different scenarios – construction of a new hospital in Asheville, North Carolina, and the addition to a popular museum in Pittsburgh. 

Sponsored | Voice of the Brand | Jun 5, 2020

Practice Style Transcendence with Brick

Get inspired! Brick’s adaptability has made it the premier building material for centuries even as styles come and go. Nothing says “classic” like brick, but nothing says “innovative” like brick either. Check out some examples of how fired clay brick remains a major presence in the 21st Century designer’s palette.

Sponsored | Voice of the Brand | May 7, 2020

How One Fabricator Uses ALPOLIC MCM as His Calling Card in the Residential Market

ALPOLIC metal composite materials have been used in the architectural and commercial building worlds for years. But recently, architects are starting to specify it for residential and other non-traditional applications.  With exceptional warranties and a variety of finishes, it is a perfect fit for homeowners wanting something different.

Sponsored | Voice of the Brand | May 5, 2020

Two Schools Go for Bold Color and Eye-Catching Design

Metal wall panel systems with varying rib patterns and pops of color provide dynamic visual interest in two different new-construction school buildings. PAC-CLAD Precision Series Panels offer an affordable array of 45 standard colors and 12 panel options for endless cladding possibilities.

Sponsored | Voice of the Brand | Mar 10, 2020

How Trim-Tex’s Fast Edge® corner bead saves time & material

Trim-Tex recently rolled out its latest vinyl corner bead innovation, Fast Edge®, promising to drastically cut down on the time and material it takes to finish drywall corners. How much can these corner beads actually save contractors? They put it to the test!

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Voice of the Brand

Designs Inspired by Timber with Less Limitations

Explore new possibilities in your design with the natural look of wood, without the weight, maintenance difficulties, or expense. Three projects, featuring ALPOLIC’s Timber Series, highlight how metal composite materials provide beautiful, durable and safe solutions with a look so real, you’ll look twice.




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021