Health Services Inc.’s new River Region Health Center in Montgomery, AL, presents two distinctly different faces to the public with a little help from Reynobond® Aluminum Composite Material (ACM) by Alcoa Architectural Products. The main priority of the project’s architect was to create a structure with clean lines and hard edges that would provide a warm and welcoming environment for both patients and staff. Their plan for the clinic, shaped by the sloping site, starts with a two-story structure with an institutional nature on one side that transitions to a single story structure on the other side with a softer, human scale.
Designed by Chambless King Architects of Montgomery, AL, the 50,000-square-foot clinic features 17,100 square feet of Reynobond ACM on the façade, cornice features, accent bands and column covers. Reynobond panels with the rich Mahogany Brown wood grain Design Line finish were used to clad the one-story façade, drawing the warmth of the wood outside to respond to the residential neighborhood it faces. The architects specified that the Design Line panels be installed in the Reynobond Face Fastened Solution installation system for the unique detail the European-style exposed fastener system added to the façade.
Metallic finishes were used on the rest of the building to accentuate the institutional nature of the clinic. “The building is a series of large gestures,” said John Chambless, AIA, principal of Chambless King Architects. “To work, it had to have beautiful, sharp edges and angles that can only be achieved with ACM, and wall panels that are perfectly flat with no oil canning.” The clinic was designed according to the U.S. Green Building Council’s USGBC Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®*) green building principles, and is on track for Gold certification.
The Warmth of Wood With the Benefits of Reynobond
“Reynobond Design Line paint finishes provide the freedom to design without the restrictions imposed by the weight and properties of natural materials,” said George Rosado, Commercial Director for Alcoa Architectural Products, “making it possible for the architects to incorporate sustainable, cutting-edge materials without sacrificing style or quality.” Reynobond is extraordinarily flat, strong, highly formable and the Design Line advanced polymer finish resists sun, extreme temperatures – even salt water. By employing a painted application rather than film, Design Line patterns can easily be matched on unlimited quantities of panels and on coil fabricated for flashing materials. These patterns include wood, granite, travertine marble, terra cotta and patinated copper, zinc or steel, and are all backed by a 20-year exterior warranty.
The architects specified Reynobond ACM, 4 mm, FR core with a Design Line Mahogany Brown wood grain finish; Reynobond ACM, 4 mm, FR core, with a Brite Silver Metallic Colorweld® 500 finish; and Reynobond ACM, 4 mm, FR core with a Classic Bronze Colorweld 500 finish. Argo Building Co. of Birmingham, AL, was the General Contractor; and Peachtree Protective Covers of Hiram, GA, fabricated and installed the ACM panels.
The health center opened in December 2011 and provides comprehensive medical care for a wide range of patients, including affordable primary, preventable and wellness care and specialties such as OB-GYN, psychiatry, podiatry, X-ray and dentistry. It is the only Federally Qualified Health Center in Alabama to be co-located with a not-for-profit hospital.