Although it was designed to complement the architectural language of recent hospital expansions, the Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital’s new Ernest D. Wells Medical Office Building is by no means a copycat structure. By introducing new materials and shapes, Burghard Design Group-Architects, Inc. of Temecula, CA, successfully gave the 108,000 sq. ft. building an identity all its own.

Located on the hospital’s campus in Whittier, CA, the new medical office building stands five stories tall. The first floor is clad with granite while the remainder of the building is wrapped with Reynobond aluminum composite wall panels. The panels were fabricated and installed by Alumawall, San Jose, CA.

The southern-most corner of the building is cantilevered and slanted out past the primary plane, creating a unique and powerful visual feature. Slanted fin walls help frame and accentuate that element, while the use of recessed, punched windows allows for the dramatic interplay of light and shadow across the entire building façade. Primary entrance canopies are accented by a rhythm of slanted columns and round caps, and a curved wall in accent colors provides further emphasis as it also helps break up the building’s 200’ length.

Reynobond aluminum composite material (ACM) is manufactured by Alcoa Architectural Products USA of Eastman, GA. The material can be provided in multiple widths, in a choice of two cores and in virtually any color imaginable. In the case of the office building, the 26,000 sq. ft. of panels were fabricated from 4mm-thick, PE-cored material supplied in three colors: Bone White (standard color), Cadet Gray (standard color) and Floating Garden Green. The PVDF paints were by Valspar Coatings of Garland, TX.

The panels were attached using Alumawall’s Series 1400 and 1600, rout and return attachment systems. A dry seal system was originally specified but nixed for budgetary reasons.

The project’s general contractor was Millie & Severson, Inc., Los Alamitos, CA. The project was completed in October 2009.