Project Overview
Designers at the new Westchester Medical Center Ambulatory Care Pavilion in Valhalla, New York, needed to ensure the building provided a cost-effective aesthetic design while also meeting a tight schedule on a restrictive site surrounded by other campus buildings.
The $230-million, 280,000-square-foot facility represents the largest health-care construction project in Westchester County in decades, according to Lohud.com, a USA Today regional website. The eight-story structure, adjacent to the existing medical center, includes 185,000 square feet of ambulatory care space with a surgery center, advanced imaging center, and heart and vascular services. Also included are a 20,000-square-foot private-room expansion and 75,000 square feet of doctors’ offices, Lohud.com reported.
Precast Solution
To meet these challenges, designers specified architectural precast concrete panels as the building cladding, using various shapes and finishes. About 250 precast concrete panels were cast, covering 55,000 square feet of cladding area. They feature two finishes along with a tight reveal pattern custom made with polyurethane form liners. 400 feet radiused panels also were cast with preinstalled granite to achieve the appearance designers sought.
In addition to its ability to provide the aesthetic choices, the precast panels were chosen for the project due to their speed in casting and erecting, according to Conor Devine, assistant project manager at Skanska USA Building Inc., the general contractor. “The large, panelized approach to casting the panels made them quicker to install than other options.”
Tight Site Creates Challenges
The tight site also posed challenges that the panels helped with. The building was constructed between two existing buildings and a courtyard, leaving no space at the site to stage materials until needed. “It was tough to maneuver at the site, so alleviating congestion was a key concern,” Devine says.
A satellite site nearby was used to stockpile components throughout the day, which then could be delivered to the site for erection as needed. Two sizes of cranes were used to erect the panels owing to the complexity of maneuvering on the site.
The granite-covered concave panels presented challenges of their own, he notes. “They are really unique panels but had to be handled carefully. The panels were erected along the inside wall of the facility, which curves around the entrance. They provide a strong appearance for visitors arriving at the building.
The project was built in two phases. Phase one was completed in October 2017 and Phase two is scheduled to complete erection early 2018 with occupancy planned for later that year. |