December 15, 2004—Specialty contractor Harmon, Inc. is providing Orlando Regional Healthcare’s new Hospital for Women & Babies with its hurricane impact resistant exterior glazing system. The 11-story, 273-bed facility blends an efficient, flexible layout with a warm, soothing setting.
The two-year building project will cost approximately $100 million and will be partially funded by philanthropic support. When it opens in late 2005, the new hospital will be connected across the street via a second floor skyway to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. Expanding the current women’s and neonatal intensive care services, the Hospital for Women & Babies will include a 112-bed neonatal ICU—making it the fourth largest in the nation.
To create its family-friendly, healing environment, hospital leaders selected Jonathan Bailey and Associates for the architectural firm’s award-winning design of healthcare facilities. Similarly, Robins & Morton Construction was chosen for its regional healthcare expertise.
Also a familiar part of the team, Harmon, Inc.’s Orlando office has been helping the hospital with its exterior glazing systems’ renovations for nearly 20 years.
Early in the project’s construction plan, Harmon presented a proposal to install 100,000-square-feet of its proprietary HI7000 Series pre-glazed, unitized, hurricane-resistant curtainwall system. Upholding the hurricane criteria, the glazing team recommended over-cladding designated areas with the panels to achieve the desired architectural look. Brasch elaborates, “In the event of high winds, the panels become sacrificial, but the integrity of the building would be maintained.”
Harmon reinforced its proposal with a full-scale mock-up for aesthetic approval. Once approved and manufactured, the glazier’s began installation August of 2004 and expect completion of the curtainwall system by early spring of 2005.
Harmon, Inc. works by the mission “for the life of your building” and services the entire lifecycle of the building’s glazed exterior – from new construction, to repair and replacement, to renovation. The company’s experienced team works in partnership with customer and suppliers to provide a full range of glass services that shape the nation’s urban landscape.
For more information, contact Harmon at 763/ 287-4900.
