ADVANCED INTERLAYER SOLUTIONS
SentryGlas® ionoplast interlayers have played an important role in a unique curved glass curtain wall at the Butler County Health Care Center in David City, Nebraska.
The Center, a 20-bed Critical Access Hospital, is located in a park-like setting. Recently remodelled, it features spacious private rooms offering the latest technologies complemented by well-trained staff. Serving the needs of residents in Butler County, and surrounding communities it also offers a Wellness Center that features cardiovascular fitness and weighttraining equipment, with membership being open to the community.
Situated on the south-facing aspect of the facility, the new Wellness Center features a 6.7 m (22 ft) high 279 sqm (3,000 sqft) curved glass curtain wall. Its south-facing position had the potential to present significant issues relating to heat gain and glare had the architects not employed SageGlass®, an electrochromic glass deployed specifically to control solar gain and glare while maximising the daylight entering the open spaces within the Center.
As well as providing an active response to sunlight SageGlass® also leverages the capabilities of SentryGlas® an ionoplast interlayer, which not only offers a stronger and lighter glass laminate but also enhanced durability and edge performance. From a safety perspective, it also retains glass fragments in the event of breakage, keeping them bonded to the interlayer and preventing injury to people below.
According to Derek Malmquist Vice President of Marketing at SAGE Electrochromics: “There are a number of primary reasons why we use SentryGlas®. It offers excellent colour neutrality so there is less yellowing of the panels over time. The stiffness and strength of the interlayer is also important for functional and safety reasons for impact and load resistance while from a weather and environment perspective it offers good durability.”
According to Malmquist: “The architect, Visions in Architecture (VIA), a specialist in health care design, employs Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), which taps into the expertise of all subcontractors and suppliers early in the design process so that they can collaboratively weigh in on problems and solutions.” Using this approach, the glazing contractor, City Glass Company, realised early in the project that mechanical shades would not be suitable due to the complexity of the curtain wall, which flares out at a 7 degree angle in curved pie-shaped forms. Shades would also block the beautiful view beautiful views of a park and golf course available to users of the Center. Shades would also have presented ongoing hygienic and maintenance problems for the hospital due to dust and germ accumulation. Electrochromic glass made the most sense for controlling the sun and heat gain without cutting off the wellness Center from the community.
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