Hillcrest Medical Center’s striking new Oklahoma Heart Institute in Tulsa presents an inviting appearance both inside and out. The six-story, 183,000 sq. ft. building is capped with a round rotunda that emits a beacon visible at night across half of the city.
Approximately 23,000 linear feet of Flex-C Trac and Flex-C Angle cold-formed/light-gauge steel framing products from Flex-Ability Concepts were used to frame the rotunda and entire front façade as well as create the interior curves and radiuses that help provide a welcoming feel. The design team created a warm, relaxing lobby to greet guests as they enter the institute.
“We’re trying to get an environment so that when people come to it, it’s not like they’re coming to a hospital—it’s more like they’re coming to a hotel,” according to Steve Dobbs, CEO of Hillcrest Medical Center, in an article published in the Oklahoma City Journal Record.
The project was designed by WHR Architects, Houston. Hillcrest sent teams of employees and architects to visit five of the nation’s best heart hospitals to review best practices. Hillcrest then built mock-ups of several rooms so that physicians, nurses and other work groups could study the designs and make adjustments.
Interior and exterior framing was done by Green Country Interiors, Tulsa. The project utilized 8,100 feet of Flex-C Angle and 15,000 feet of 16 and 20 gauge Flex-C Trac in 3 5/8 and 6 inch widths. “It was a pretty complex job,” according to Ed Gregory, project manager for Green Country. “There were lots of radiuses weaving together and numerous large radiuses that had to be laid out off of a grid. We’ve used Flex-C Trac for years and it’s an excellent product. It helped me a lot.”
This was the first project on which Gregory used Flex-C Trac with the new Hammer-Lock feature. Hammer-Lock allows the shaped track to be held in place by simply hammering down tabs in each link of the track instead of securing the track with screws. “It definitely saved labor,” Gregory said.
The distributor for the Flex-Ability Concepts products was Building Specialties, Broken Arrow, OK. Involved in the project were Kelly Edington, sales representative, and Joe Smith, yard manager.