Winthrop-University Hospital Designed for Clinical Research and Patient Interactions
Every building has its own different and unique challenges. When designing and constructing a medical facility, the issues can be even more complex. One of those is Winthrop-University Hospital’s newest translational research building that serves as a gateway to and focal point of the village of Mineola, New York, and a key organizer of the bustling periphery of the Winthrop-University Hospital campus. NYU Winthrop Hospital is a 591-bed hospital that was founded in 1896 under the name Nassau Hospital, and was Long Island’s first voluntary hospital. NYU Winthrop is an adult Level 1 Trauma Center and Nassau County’s only trauma center with full adult and pediatric capabilities.
To continue to be on the cutting edge of life-threatening disease research, NYU teamed with Lend Lease as construction manager and Perkins Eastman Architects to design a 95,000-square foot translational research and academic facility that fosters state-of-the art research in the treatment and prevention of pediatric and adult diabetes in collaboration with patient care and community education. The building enables information to move from the research environment directly to caregivers and patients; open, flexible laboratories are connected to the clinical research and patient care environments through communal spaces designed to promote chance encounters and intellectual interactions.
The design for the five-floor building embodies the spirit of the groundbreaking translational study and research housed within. The educational and practical design begins on the exterior. The building angles off the street grid so as to enhance visual connectivity to the village and Winthrop-University Hospital, as well as ensuring the building’s maximum solar efficiency.
When trying to be efficient to maximize solar resources, the glass envelope is always a crucial element. The team knew they needed an experienced glazier backed by a world-class installation team and high-quality suppliers, but a firm that also has experience working on hospitals and educational facilities in the New York metropolitan area. For many of these reasons, they chose W&W Glass.
The W&W Glass design utilizes a fully-custom unitized curtain wall with built-in, inoperable sunshades. W&W Glass is a leading contractor in the installation of complex curtain wall facade systems and custom all glass enclosures. W&W Glass is also the exclusive distributor of the Pilkington Planar™ point-supported glass system to glazing contractors throughout North America. Aluminum extrusion sunshade louvers like this add an attractive look and are very functional for glare control of the interior spaces.
In addition to being a cutting-edge research facility, the Center is one of the most sustainable buildings in the area. The design incorporates sustainable features such as a green roof, a water retention and treatment system, and is designed to create a high-performance workspace that fosters collaboration between diverse scholars and clinicians. The Center has an open stair, uniting the floors and providing occupants access to a third-floor meeting area to inspire conversation and collaboration. For more examples of W&W Glass’ innovative projects for hospitals and educational facilities, go to www.wwglass.com/portfolio.
W&W Glass LLC is a family owned business with a 70-year history in the metal and glass industry, one of the largest metal and glass companies in the New York metropolitan area and the largest supplier of structural glass systems in the country. We have over two decades of experience in the design and installation of various building enclosure systems, including stick-built curtain walls, pre-glazed unitized curtain walls, Pilkington Planar™ structural glass facades, and custom metal and glass enclosure systems.
