Photos courtesy Valerie Misa for MillerClapperton
The new David L. Conlan Center at Carolina Rehabilitation Hospital is the first phase of Atrium Health’s modernization of the Carolina Medical Center Campus. The goal for Atrium Health was to build a healthcare facility to change the healing environment from the outside in. The exterior facade reflects a cutting-edge facility with state-of-art services to deliver unprecedented care for complex conditions. The center will anchor Carolinas Rehabilitation’s new flagship facility, which replaces the former 1970s location. This project was the first major step in the larger Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center campus modernization project, setting the stage for future expansion.
The modern design used metal composite material (MCM) panels that were fabricated in various wave patterns, which were tapered and joined together to create an arrow shape. Extra time was spent during the design stage to ensure lines were maintained where two-facet and three-facet panels were connected to flat wall panel areas to achieve the desired aesthetic. Each three-facet panel had seven unique gussets to maintain the tapered effect and the two-facet panels used custom extrusions cut to size to maintain the angle and help the panel hold its shape during installation.
One-of-a-kind facility
Located along Little Sugar Creek Greenway in Charlotte, N.C., more than 90 percent of inpatient floors give patient and staff access to natural light and views of nature.
Design guides and experience checklists indicated a “wish list” that would benefit patients and their families, as well as staff. Priorities included safety, a seamless discharge, as well as a sense of independence and normalcy. This led to details such as wider corridors, glass patient doors, open concept community areas and even the psychology of color was studied to add calming elements.
The 5-story facility, at 14,140 m2 (152,204 sf), includes 70 private patient rooms, an 863-m2 (9,300-sf)
outpatient clinic, an outdoor therapy challenge garden, an aquatic therapy program, and a center for independent living. This new facility is a one-of-a-kind regional rehabilitation hospital, designed with the latest state-of-the-art technology and program to better serve patients and surrounding communities.
Metal plans
The framed wall sections were hoisted into place prior to the panels being installed. Thorough coordination allowed forgoing field measurements and building directly off the approved shop drawing. This reduced the overall duration of the project by cutting out up to six weeks for each defined area, and 99.35 percent of total panels fit with no issues.
Metal is the primary feature of this project’s facade with undulating waves of multifaceted panels that wraparound the entirety of the building and connect to create arrows and unique angles for a truly modern design aesthetic. Nearly 1,500 MCM panels were fabricated and installed, including for the entry canopy and column covers, as well as 371 m2 (4,000 sf) of profiled single skin MCM for the rooftop mechanical room.
Green Girts were used throughout the project, eliminating the problem of thermal bridging. With a very high thermal-efficiency rating, this recyclable building product can help in achieving LEED certification.