MEDITECH Southcoast

BRINGING TECHNOLOGIES TOGETHER TO CREATE A SUSTAINABLE, HIGH-PERFORMANCE ADVANCED FAÇADE

Situated in the southeastern part of Massachusetts with a panoramic glass façade that capitalizes on water views, the Medical Information Technology, Inc. (MEDITECH) Building, also called “MEDITECH Southcoast,” is a tribute to the community and a major driver of the area’s economic revival. For nearly four decades, MEDITECH has been a leading software vendor in the health care informatics industry, providing integrated software solutions to meet the needs of health care organizations worldwide. As MEDITECH grew, it needed a facility that would accommodate new and future employees. The four-story, 122,000-square-foot building includes hundreds of workstations, dozens of private offices, 28 conference rooms and eight training rooms.

MEDITECH wanted to create a building that would advance the way sustainable structures are created. Payette worked to incorporate sustainable elements to the building that would capitalize on the natural landscape and scenic location of the site. MEDITECH Southcoast incorporated an advanced façade – a synergistic, seamless integration of products that provide advanced energy performance and indoor environmental quality. Using a collaborative approach, the advanced façade includes high-performance glass, thermal doors and windows, and motorized sunscreen systems that automatically respond to exterior solar conditions and are integrated into the versatile curtain wall.

DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS

The picturesque location, situated on the north side of South Wattuppa Pond, served as inspiration for the building’s design. The unique curving shape of the building mimics the shoreline. The continuous glass wall on the south façade maximizes views and allows controlled daylight to reach deep into the building, illuminating the open workstations thereby reducing dependency on electrical lighting. To help control daylight and increase occupant comfort, the glass wall features motorized shades installed between the mullions.

CHALLENGES

• To address Massachusetts’ strict thermal requirements, the specifications called for low U-values and enhanced thermal performance. A design choice needed to be made: either a new custom system would need to be created specifically for the project, or the design could incorporate a strategic combination of existing products integrated into an advanced façade.
• Supporting the curtain wall posed a structural challenge. All four stories of curtain wall required suspension from the roof framing to
  accommodate a central atrium space. The building’s flyby bays (5' wide x 15' tall) cantilevered horizontally beyond the outside wall, making the wall look larger than the building behind it. Special anchoring was needed to address the design.

SOLUTIONS

• Kawneer’s capability to combine internal expertise and a vast product line, coupled with the customer’s regional fabrication/installation skills, helped optimize the fenestration solution to meet architect/ owner specifications for a high-performance building.
• Kawneer’s 1600 Wall System™1 Curtain Wall, outfitted with automatic solar-tracking motorized shades was used in the creation of the advanced façade, helping contribute to the building’s overall indoor environmental quality.
• Additional combinations of Kawneer thermal products, 7500 Wall™ Curtain Wall, 360 Insulclad™ Thermal Entrances, 8225TL Thermal Windows and 2000T Terrace Doors reduce thermal transmittance and optimize energy throughout the facility.
• Supporting the curtain wall from the roof allowed wind-load supports to be minimized, enhancing views to the pond from the atrium. The flyby bays and adjoining 1600 Wall System™1 curtain wall utilized a combination of cantilevered horizontal steel supports and dead-load anchors at the top with wind-load anchors below.

ARCHITECT: Payette, Boston, Massachusetts
GLAZING CONTRACTOR: Tower Glass Company, Woburn, Massachusetts
ADVANCED FAÇADE ENGINEERING FABRICATOR: Erie Architectural Products, Inc., Blenheim, Ontario

Photography: ©CJBerg

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