The UCI Health — Irvine medical complex is a destination healthcare campus dedicated to research, education and patient care. Centrally located in Orange County, California, the campus includes a 350,000-square-foot acute care hospital, 220,000-square-foot ambulatory care and cancer center building, and — in a bold commitment to a more sustainable built environment — an all-electric central plant.
Integral to the campus is the restorative effects of nature. A shared entry plaza incorporates multiple gathering spaces and healing gardens. Level 1 of both buildings utilizes a storefront glazing system to maintain views of these gardens from indoors. As both buildings rise, a unitized curtainwall system featuring floor-to ceiling windows provides views to the San Joaquin Marsh nature reserve below.
To balance the project’s transparency and energy efficiency goals, Enclos worked alongside the project team to develop 170,000 square feet of facade on a design-assist basis. The storefront system integrates a custom ceramic frit, while the curtainwall system is finely tuned with low-e coatings and dual horizontal aluminum sunshades. Together, these integrated wall systems distribute natural light throughout both buildings, reduce artificial light requirements, and manage solar heat gain and glare.
Additional infill materials and finishes are inspired by the colors of the adjacent nature reserve. Following design approval, Enclos procured Italian limestone, burnished concrete block, and gold, silver and copper painted metal panels from our global network of trusted vender partners for tabletop and full-scale visual mockups. These mockups were also used to illustrate the four-sided structurally glazed system to authorities having jurisdiction. Subsequently, the curtainwall system underwent 17 tests, including air and water infiltration, deflection, seismic movement and thermal cycling, all at an independent laboratory to validate performance.
Enclos fabricated aluminum extrusions in Chester, Virginia, then assembled and glazed 2,300 unitized curtainwall units in Phoenix, Arizona. Throughout manufacturing, our operations team coordinated shipments to the jobsite on a just-in-time basis — 200 deliveries via flatbed trailer for the hospital and 105 for the ambulatory care and cancer center building. Upon arrival, bunked units were unloaded and positioned via tower crane and forklift. Then Enclos’ field team utilized a combination of tower cranes, mobile cranes and floor hoists to set each unit in place. Enclos’ scope also included coping panels, swing doors, sliding doors, and interior trim.
The hospital is pursuing LEED Platinum certification, the highest level awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council for sustainability.