A Sustainable Repurposing of the Aging Facility

Please note: The attached file below contains a paper linked to a presentation in pdf format from the BEST5 conference. Open with Adobe Acrobat for best results.

Building owners and facility managers are increasingly confronted by an aging inventory of building stock. These structures generally retain sound structural frames but have failing, poorly insulated, and antiquated building enclosures. The dilemma owners are confronted with is the decision to either remove these structures and design and construct new facilities, a fairly disruptive and costly path, or to attempt to retain some or all of the aging structures and embark on a renovation to repurpose these facilities. This case study documents the complete thermal over-cladding of an existing nine-story critical care patient tower in an urban hospital complex. Over-cladding was completed while maintaining critical hospital operations and retaining most of the existing construction’s exterior masonry envelope dating from the 1970s. The comprehensive approach used by this project to develop a high-performance enclosure for an aging structure began with developing strategies for hybrid thermal over-cladding to achieve passive temperature regulation, air compartmentalization, and increased thermal mass. Over-cladding with a thermal high-performance envelope improved energy performance through improved insulation, moisture mitigation strategies, and resilient materials, in addition to providing an aesthetic improvement that successfully positioned the aging building as a viable part of the hospital’s master plan for decades to come.