Metal panels create a modern medical center
BARBERMcMURRY architects, Knoxville, Tenn., was asked to create a new modern medical office and spa for Contemporary Women’s Health in Knoxville. The goal was to reflect the brand of a group of all-women physicians practicing the latest trends in modern obstetrics and gynecology.
Working together, the architects developed a design that projects a very cleanly detailed modern and minimal exterior of glass, metal and wood. “The design celebrates their patients in an environment that while progressive, is also serene, warm, welcoming and filled with natural light,” explains Chad Boetger, AIA, LEED AP, vice president, director of design at BARBERMcMURRY architects.
Completed in Spring 2015, the new building is 10,629 square feet. The entrance is centrally located, acting as the front door to both the clinical side of the practices as well as the spa, while allowing each to have its own waiting area and identity after entering. The spa anchors the west end of the building and is primarily identified with extensive use of tongue-and-groove cypress siding that extends inside, and glass. The spa is made up of a reception and waiting area, yoga studio, massage room and aesthetician room.
The east end of the building contains 14 exam rooms, a lab, three ultrasound rooms, ultrasound sub-waiting, two procedure rooms, doctor’s offices and support. The exam rooms are located around the exterior as lower horizontal bars that plug into the larger central mass. Natural light shines into the exam spaces through an extensive window system, while a translucent film on the glass provides the needed privacy. Interiors are bathed with warm natural light while offering views to the landscape carefully framed throughout the facility. Wood details bring the exterior in and dematerialize the separation of inside and outside.
To achieve a crisp, modern appearance, Boetger says they selected a combination of metal composite panels juxtaposed against standing seam panels, which create a textured pattern along the façade. Mitsubishi Plastics Composites America Inc., Chesapeake, Va., supplied its ALPOLIC metal composite material, while Metal Roofing Systems Inc., Stanley, N.C., supplied the standing seam metal panels. Additionally, Kawneer Co. Inc., Norcross, Ga., supplied its Trifab VersaGlaze 451/451T Framing System for the project.
“The use of metal in concert with wood and glass achieves a modern aesthetic balanced by the warmth of the cypress siding and the openness provided by the extensive floor-to-ceiling glass systems,” adds Boetger.
While the project is not LEED certified, Boetger says they studied solar orientation and provided building overhands to help shield exposed window systems from direct summer solar gain They also selected highly efficient glass for additional energy performance, and the exterior building color aids in reflecting solar gain the summer as well. Inside, all materials contain low-VOC content, and are highly durable and low maintenance.
Boetger notes that the design for the building is serene. “We were deliberate in material selections,” he says. “Balanced against the modern metal material, tongue-and-groove cypress siding provides warm accents on the exterior and is the primary interior material in the spa. The design respects a continuing motif of connecting with nature and filling the interiors with ample daylight and opportunities for views. When one enters the building, hopefully, the experience should be calming. We were very conscious in removing the visual clutter ones finds in most buildings, what remains is a celebration of light.”
Contemporary Women’s Health, Knoxville, Tenn.
Awards: 2015 AIA East Tennessee People’s Choice Award and 2015 AIA East Tennessee Chapter Choice Award
Architect: BARBERMcMURRY architects, Knoxville
General contractor: Hickory Construction Inc., Alcoa, Tenn.
Metal wall panels: ALPOLIC-Mitsubishi Plastics Composites America Inc., Chesapeake, Va., www.alpolic-americas.com
Standing seam metal panels: Metal Roofing Systems Inc., Stanley, N.C., metalroofingsystems.biz
Storefront: Kawneer Co. Inc., Norcross, Ga., www.kawneer.com