The colorful, attention-grabbing new façade planned for the University of Florida (UF) Health Shands Children’s Hospital is courtesy of a new painted, stainless steel woven wire mesh introduced by W.S. Tyler USA Architectural Design Group.  This innovative product provides an infinite array of color and pattern options for building facades.

For the past several years, University of Florida Health (UF Health) located in Gainesville, Fla., has been working toward consolidating pediatric services within the university medical center. A planned renovation for the east entry atrium and building façade led the owners to realize it was time to establish a completely separate identity for the children’s hospital, which is, essentially, a hospital within a hospital on the UF Health campus.  According to Bradley S. Pollitt, AIA and vice president of facilities development at UF Health Shands Hospital, “The portal project is now rebranding the entrance to the building so that our smallest patients do not have to enter through the adult hospital.”

Understanding that a hospital can feel ominous to a child, the owners asked the architectural firm, Ponikvar and Associates, to take an approach to the renovation that was child-friendly, while at the same time created a separate identity for the children’s hospital that would differentiate it from other areas of the facility.  According to Jack Ponikvar, vice president and principal architect at Ponikvar and Associates, “We were challenged to do something that was child-like without being childish.” 

This differentiation demanded a dramatic change to the exterior of the building. Months of reviewing design options and product research led the architecture firm and the construction management firm, Ajax Building Corporation, to consider a light and colorful alternative to the somberness of the existing brick façade with W.S. Tyler’s woven wire mesh.

Made from architectural grade T316 stainless steel, the W.S. Tyler woven wire mesh product provided options not available with any other type of material.  The color selection allowed for a bright, multi-color façade layered over the existing brick cladding, which would be appealing to young patients while also establishing a new identity for the building. Additionally, creating colored facades with woven wire mesh presents a multitude of unique design options. The interaction of artificial light, daylight, transparency, luminosity and color ensures the stylistic effects of the façade change continually. And, the painted woven wire mesh is incredibly durable, weather-resistant and virtually maintenance free.

Bringing the visually striking design to life was not without its challenges. Designed to represent green, rolling hills, the outermost skin of the façade is made up of 26 multi-barrette 8124 panels, which are painted green.  These include 19, 85-foot long panels that diagonally slope approximately 19 feet over the span of the design. Supporting the mesh panels at the changing elevations to maintain the rolling hills visual provided a unique test for the installation team. However, overcoming the obstacles has proven worthwhile in the appearance of the finished product.

W.S. Tyler produced sample panels for review by the owners, architecture firm and project managers.  Using a crane, the sample panels were positioned in front of the existing façade to determine the visual effect that would be created once the colored panels were in place.  Ponkivar noted, “The use of color with the woven wire mesh panels created a crystal jewel kind of feel.”

Thomas G. Crow, senior project manager for Ajax Building Corporation, explains the installation process, “Multi-colored stainless steel woven mesh fabric panels are attached to a two-layer structural steel framework that is connected to the façade of the existing 12-story north tower.”

The woven wire mesh is manufactured to specification for each project.  W.S. Tyler works with each architecture or design firm to bring individual inspirations to life. The product provides a play of light and shade, gloss and transparency that give each project its own unmistakable identity.   Depending on the type and size of the mesh, the wire mesh surface can be transformed into a stylishly transparent or more opaque visual anti-glare surface.  The LARGO-PLENUS 2022 weave pattern with a 25 percent open area was used for the Shands Children’s Hospital project.

Says Pollitt, “We did not want to do solid colored metal panels. The woven wire mesh provided partial transparency. This is going to be the most visually dynamic building in the city. There’s nothing like it in North Florida.”

Crow adds, “Changing the building this way creates a more modern perspective of the hospital. The new façade will really grab people as they go by and make them want to come in. The colors make it attractive to children.  It’s more cheerful, which can be part of a good memory.”

Panel installation is underway and the entire hospital renovation, which includes an interior transformation, is scheduled to be completed summer of 2014. For more information about W.S. Tyler’s architectural mesh and unique façade capabilities, visit www.tylerdesignmesh.com

About W.S. Tyler

For more than 140 years, W.S. Tyler has been a leader in manufacturing, engineering, design and fabrication of woven wire cloth/mesh. Located in Mentor, Ohio, the company offers an exciting contemporary design option to the construction marketplace. By integrating leading technology into its metal mesh fabrics, W.S. Tyler is able to deliver high-performing, durable solutions for building facades, wall cladding, security, solar shading, creative metallic art and a range of other applications for both new and retrofit construction. A Haver & Boecker company, W.S. Tyler is backed by a strong global presence. For more information visit www.tylerdesignmesh.com