Dynamic Contrast Key to Visual Appeal
by tristan_marks | May 22, 2025 1:01 pm
To incorporate the Women’s and Children’s Hospital building on the UHS Hospital San Antonio campus, ZGF Architects LLP and Marmon Mok Architecture designed the new hospital building to be perpendicular to the existing University Hospital building, also known as Sky Tower. The hospital tower is slightly apart from Sky Tower and set askew on its four-story podium, maximizing views and establishing a clear campus identity.
Importantly, the firms designed a curved facade for a four-story podium at the base of the 10-story Women’s and Children’s Hospital. The Women’s and Children’s Hospital podium is positioned adjacent to Sky Tower but oriented perpendicularly, which creates a dynamic visual contrast. The overall result is a 360-degree uniform and symmetrical look, enhancing the coherence of the entire project.
A large parking garage was also added in front of the 14-story, 64,753 m2 (697,000 sf) Women’s and Children’s Hospital tower and podium. Metal materials were integral to the project, including metal composite material (MCM) panels on two vertical fins on the hospital facade and curved east side of the building. Metal mesh and MCM were also installed on the exterior of the parking garage. KSC Inc. fabricated and installed 4-mm thick MCM panels with fire-resistant cores in silver mica to complete it.
The 37,161 m2 (400,000 sf) parking garage has capacity for 900 vehicles. On the exterior, KSC installed a combination of 9,848 m2 (106,000 sf) of MCM panels in silver mica and 2,880 m2 (31,000 sf) of metal mesh.
Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/articles/features/uhs-san-antonio/