Hospital's design puts children first

Photo by Matthew Chase, courtesy of the children’s hospital of San Antonio

The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio recently finished a major retrofit that dramatically embodies current attitudes and research into enhanced healing through sensitive clinical architecture and design. These bright, vibrant façade units, made of ceramic-fritted translucent glass, are bringing children and families comfort and a sense of playfulness through color.

Architectural firm Overland Partners Inc. of San Antonio developed a range of criteria for the new glass façade elements: durability, custom colors to match the large mosaic mural, structural capacity and ease of installation, among others.

They selected the new Lamberts channel glass — a three-dimensional, U-shaped architectural glass — by Bendheim Wall Systems Inc. The unique geometry of the channel glass allowed it to achieve continuous vertical spans of 10 to 16 feet in relatively lightweight ¼-inch glass thickness — weighing only 4.5 pounds per square foot — a feat unachievable through conventional flat glass. The translucent ceramic frits, custom-matched to the colors of the mural, are fused into the glass under high temperatures to deliver durable, weather- and scratch-resistant hues that can stand up to the elements for years of healing to come.