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CityPlace 2
ProMedica Health and Wellness Center
The Edge
The Pearl
Chelsea Green Condominiums
U.S. Bank Stadium
Golden 1 Center
Sacramento Kings Arena
Park Place Lexus
Hunt Tower
Porsche Cars North America Experience Center and Headquarters
Museum at Prairiefire
Denver Union Station Transit Center
Dennis Meas Justice Center - Pueblo County Judicial Center
Nu Skin Innovation Center
Suzanne & Walter Scott, Jr. Bioengineering Building, Colorado State University
Mile Square Health Center at the Illinois Hospital
Whitworth Robinson Science Hall, Whitworth Universitiy
Armed Forces Retirement Home (AFRH)
Aurora Early Learning Center
North American Headquarters
Community College of Denver - Confluence Building
Lady Bird Johnson Middle School
NASA Johnson Space Center - Building 12
Tidewater CC Learning Resource Center
Robert M. Smith Student Center, Slippery Rock University
Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing
Cooper School of Medicine - Rowan University
Los Gatos Public Library
Virginia Commonwealth University - West Grace Street Housing
Georgia Gwinnett College Library
and Learning CenterEmpire State Building
Tidewater CC Student Center Norfolk Campus
W Austin
Consol Energy Center
Pittsburgh Penguins Arena
Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse
Corporate Office Tower
Sarasota Police Headquarters
Frontier Project
Wells Fargo Center
The Austonian
Rockingham Memorial Hospital
Bakery Square
University of Minnesota
TCF Bank Stadium
700 Sixth Street NW
Pennsylvania State University - Dickinson School of Law, Lewis Katz Building
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory - Molecular Foundry
Geisinger Center for Health Research
PCL Centennial Learning Centre
Homer Public Library
77 CityPoint
Medical Center of the Rockies
Ohlone Community College Newark Center for Health Sciences and Technology
Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
University of Florida Library West
Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas
Heifer International World Headquarters
The Pennsylvania State University, School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA)
Brookhaven National Laboratory, Center for Functional Nanomaterials
Missouri Department of Natural Resources - Lewis and Clark State Office Building
Whitehead Biomedical Research Building, Emory University
Geisinger Center for Health Research
Danville, Pennsylvania, USA
The Geisinger Center for Health Research (GCHR) serves as a large, state-of-the-art facility that houses staff members, the Health Sciences Libraries, and lecture, meeting and conference rooms. Its unique and innovative design reflects the cutting-edge work conducted inside. The GCHR is committed to addressing national health issues and improving the effectiveness of healthcare in central and northeastern Pennsylvania through research and technology.
The unique curved shape of the building and the deep mullion covers that follow the lines of the building provide an interesting aesthetic, making the project one of a kind. To accomplish the customized look of the design, Kawneer products were used throughout the building and combined to provide a greater visual impact and to maximize natural daylight.
Products Used:
1600 Wall System®1 Curtain Wall
1600 Wall System®2 Curtain Wall
Trifab® VersaGlaze® 450 Framing System 1-3/4" sightline (interior)
350 Tuffline® Entrances
LEED® Silver
In the building and construction industry, sustainability is often characterized with products and construction methods. However, sustainability extends far beyond physical components of a building – it can also extend into the community. The Geisinger Center for Health Research (GCHR) encompasses the broader definition of sustainability with its unique curving walls, “green” design components and occupants’ impactful work done within for the community. Since opening its doors, the GCHR has achieved LEED Silver® certification.
Based in Danville, the GCHR is committed to addressing national health issues and improving the effectiveness of healthcare in central and northeastern Pennsylvania through research and technology. The 63,000-square-foot building serves as a hub for teams of researchers, clinician investigators and staff who work to identify, test and validate new models of care delivery and quickly translate research findings into medical solutions. The GCHR serves as a large, state-of-the-art facility that houses staff members, the Health Sciences Libraries, and lecture, meeting and conference rooms. Its unique and innovative design reflects the cutting-edge work conducted inside.
Geisinger serves its community through the work done throughout its facilities and the relationships it has built beyond the campus. The GCHR is a project where sustainability truly extends outside the creation of the building. Kawneer, King Glass and the GCHR construction and design team were able to construct a facility that can help Geisinger conduct medical research and improve healthcare for the local community and worldwide.
DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS
The unique curved shape of the building and the deep mullion covers that follow the lines of the building provide an interesting aesthetic, making the project one of a kind. In addition, the natural daylight in the building design was a key component in helping generate LEED® certification points by reducing the dependency on electrical lighting and providing window views for more than 90% of the office space. The glazed elements throughout the building created an exterior “skin” to maximize energy savings and interior light.
CHALLENGES
The convex and concave walls and sloping roof were complex design elements, which required a great deal of expertise to achieve. The multiple compound angles throughout the project required CAD drawings to be exact due to the intricacy of the design.
SOLUTIONS
- To accomplish the customized look of the design, Kawneer’s 1600 Wall System®1 Curtain Wall and 1600 Wall System®2 Curtain Wall were used throughout the building and combined to provide a greater visual impact. The downward curving lines of the curtain wall were achieved through convex and concave compound miter joints and cuts in radius and in plane. The concealed fastener joinery helped to create unbroken lines, achieving a clean, streamlined exterior appearance.
- In addition to the close proximity of Kawneer’s Bloomsburg plant, recycled billet was requested and materials had to be manufactured regionally in order to help achieve the Materials and Resources credits under LEED®.
- Kawneer’s Trifab® VersaGlaze® 450 Framing System and 350 Tuffline® Entrances were also utilized in the $21 million project. Trifab® VersaGlaze® 450 framing, which features an array of fabrication, design and performance choices, was used on the interior of the building. Kawneer’s durable 350 Tuffline® Entrances, a popular choice for heavy-traffic areas, were incorporated throughout the facility.
ARCHITECT: EwingCole, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
GLAZING CONTRACTOR: King Glass Company, Exeter, Pennsylvania
Photography: ©CJBerg