Jacksonville Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Centre in Florida
Main building image by Courtesy of HKS Architects/Freeman White.
Overview
Baptist Health and MD Anderson have partnered to create a new $184 million cancer centre in Jacksonville, Florida, focused on treating all forms of adult cancer. The building is situated overlooking St John’s River in a beautiful and serene environment. The new nine-storey 332,000-square-foot center is designed to provide state-of-the-art care and will also host clinical trials for new drugs.
The facility has a contemporary design enclosing a central courtyard. With open views to all aspects, abundant natural light streams into the interior, creating a warm uplifting atmosphere. The frontage of the L-shaped structure, facing south, is flooded with light, requiring extensive passive solar shading.
An holistic approach
The teams involved in the project design and construction, which included HKS Architects (Dallas), adopted an holistic approach ensuring that all aspects of the design, both exterior and interior, reflected the goal of creating a positive, calm and caring environment focused on the individuals who inhabit it, namely the patients, their families, and the staff.
Levolux elliptical aluminium fins form the horizontal bands of solar shading running across the front of the building. In keeping with using materials to create a calming feeling of warmth and comfort, Powdertech Wood Finish™ was specified for the solar shading. Back in the UK Powdertech coated 2000 linear metres of 150mm by 50mm extruded aluminium in PWF 31, Black Walnut, a “warm” finish, which were despatched to Florida as a single delivery.
Why PWF™?
- The finish combines the strength and longevity of metal with the warm, natural appeal of wood.
- Excellent corrosion protection and weather resistance
- High level of colour and gloss retention
- Excellent abrasion resistance
- Low maintenance - unlike wood
- Conforms to Fire Reaction classification A2-s1, d0
- The PWF range conforms to ISO 12206 and Qualicoat specifications .
- Can be applied to most metallic substrates including aluminium, galvanized steel, cast metals and stainless steel
