Project Overview
The Valley Health Center Downtown is a 62,000 sq. ft., $53-million medical facility and unites three nearby underserved neighborhoods that previously lacked healthcare access. The three-story building enables healthcare providers to deliver primary and specialized healthcare services, such as pediatric, women, and behavioral health, under one roof. The facility also has a laboratory, pharmacy, and radiology department, along with 12 urgent care rooms, 22 clinic exam rooms, 12 pediatric exam rooms, and 12 women's health exam rooms.
The new healthcare facility is forward-looking in the context of future city development. As a public facility serving a broad cross-section of residents, it must also acknowledge the unique heritage and individual culture represented in downtown San Jose.
The bold colors of precast and glass panels featured on the building bay tribute to Mexican artist Luis Barragan and artists like Diego Rivera while also giving the building's exterior a distinctive look. In addition to delivering complex façades, architectural precast concrete provides the economic advantage of high-durability, minimal maintenance, excellent fire resistance, and energy efficiency. Because of this compelling mix of benefits, architectural precast concrete is the perfect material for the high-performance building envelopes that provide enduring value for the owner.
Precast Solution
Given the design team's aesthetic requirements, precast concrete cladding was chosen to create a façade that was aesthetically pleasing, economical, and high-performing. The precast concrete panels were manufactured by Clark Pacific using custom-built forms in precise dimensions and shapes specified by the architect. These forms introduced reveals, joints, patterns, and other expressive detailing to the the panel surface. Using larger panels minimized the number of joints in the building, reduced uncontrolled air infiltration, and reduced the cost of caulking joints.
Various sands, aggregates, and pigments provided the specific color effects. Additionally, textures were modified by using various sandblasting levels to generate dramatic aesthetic visual effects.
The façades are composed of architectural precast panels with a formliner finish, curtain walls, integrated with the rhythmic placement of rainbow-colored glass fins and horizontal sunshade screens, and the judicious but extensive use of multi-colored glass panels throughout the building.
Precast concrete minimized construction site disturbance, decreased noise pollution in the surrounding neighborhoods, and accelerated construction to complete the structure before the rainy season.
LEED Gold Certification
This project has implemented a wide range of sustainable techniques. Despite being mandated to achieve Silver, the project team exceeded expectations and received LEED Gold certification. The use of precast concrete contributed to LEED Gold certification through thermal mass properties boosting energy performance and using regional and recycled materials. Furthermore, precast concrete contains recycled content and is an inorganic composed material that can be recycled, reducing construction waste.
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