The new Regional Center of Excellence for Transplantation & Kidney Care is part of a five-year plan to revitalize Erie County Medical Center’s health campus. The project brings a new level of specialized healthcare to Buffalo, NY with 36 hemodialysis stations, pre- and post-operative inpatient units and clinical support spaces. Featuring metal products from CENTRIA, the Regional Center of Excellence is the first clinical collaboration between Erie County Medical Center and Kaleida Health, the largest healthcare provider in western New York.

The facility sets a new standard for high-performance building envelopes in healthcare design and construction. It was also the first building in the nation to take advantage of CENTRIA’s Smart-R Wall Solution which offers an unmatched level of integration, allowing architects to specify a wall system with dynamic aesthetics without sacrificing performance. Integrated systems also minimize detailing, which helped to keep the Regional Center of Excellence on schedule. The result is one of the most efficient wall systems on the market.

“Aesthetically, with an integrated system the entire envelope appears more consistent in detailing and finish,” architect John Keelan, project manager, IKM Incorporated, AIA, explained. “With interlocking panels, the system is thermally tight which reduces the fussy detailing required with a non-integrated system. This was a great advantage to a project with a tight timeline. It allows the contractor to move inside the building much faster by comparison.”

Knowing Buffalo’s notoriously heavy winters, Keelan specified CENTRIA’s Smart-R Wall Solution to provide optimal thermal performance. The key to providing that optimal performance was an integrated wall and window system. For this particular project, the Smart-R Wall Solution combined CENTRIA’s Formawall 3”-T insulated metal wall panels with an enhanced insulated metal vertical joint (IMV), Formavue FV-600 windows and integral components such as C/S Louvers.

Formawall Dimension Series 3”-T panels use a factory foamed-in-place core to minimize insulation gaps, while a thermal break between metal face and liner minimizes heat transference. Formawall 3”-T also offers thermally enhanced panel joinery, and the insulated metal vertical joint (IMV) offers a four-sided metal joint for added aesthetic flexibility and superior thermal performance. All told, Formawall 3”-T produces an impressive R-value of 22.

CENTRIA’s FV-600 windows eliminate the need for receptors, exposed sealants or flashing for faster jobsite coordination and superior weather resistance as well as the inclusion of a thermal barrier to minimize conductivity while maintaining structural integrity. Engineered to seamlessly integrate with Formawall 3”-T panels, FV-600 windows include thermally enhanced head, sill and jamb details, as well as additional insulation in the head of the window frame. Integration creates a unique aesthetic with sleek sightlines at component intersections. All-metal joinery provides an array of aesthetic options thanks to CENTRIA’s full catalog of innovative color coatings, substrates and surface textures.

Integrated wall systems benefit more than the bottom line. Integrated components reduce the amount of material used by eliminating extraneous parts, while factory-assembled components eliminate jobsite scrap. Moreover, high- performance wall systems can drastically reduce HVAC costs and overall environmental impact.

One last advantage of integrated components is single-source responsibility.

“It is wonderful to have a single source like CENTRIA to turn to for advice on all aspects of shell design,” Keelan said. “It is equally wonderful to receive submittals with the window manufacturer and the cladding manufacturer fully integrated and coordinated. This coordination benefits everyone down the line - most importantly the building owner.”

Architects for this project were IKM, Inc. of Pittsburgh, PA, and Kideney Architects of Buffalo, NY; The CENTRIA products dealer was Arrow Sheet Metal Works, Inc. of Buffalo, NY; the metal products installer was Scanlon Erectors, Inc. of Hamburg, NY; and the general contractor was LP Ciminelli, Inc. of Buffalo, NY.

CENTRIA products used on this project included:

• Formawall® Dimension Series® 3”-T IMV - 25,741 sq. ft.; Champagne, Sundance™ Mica, Smooth, 22/26 Gauge

• Formawall Dimension Series 3”-T IMV - 3,573 sq. ft.; Gray Velvet, Sundance Mica, Smooth, 22/26 Gauge

• Formawall Dimension Series DS-60 3”-T IMV - 7,351 sq. ft.; Gray Velvet, Sundance Mica, Smooth, 22/26 Gauge

• Formavue™ FV-600 Integrated Window System

• C/S Louvers