A New Address for Healthcare in Asheville

Originally called Mission Hospital for Advanced Medicine, the newly built Mission Health North Tower in Asheville, North Carolina, is helping Mission Health set a new standard of excellence in healthcare for the community.

The 630,000-square-foot, 12-story facility expands emergency department services and patient capacity. It includes 220 patient rooms, a 94-bed emergency room, 11 interventional and cardiac catheterization suites, eight digital operating rooms, and an outdoor terrace on the third floor. The $400-million tower was in the planning stages for nearly a decade.

Planners ultimately chose solutions manufactured by CENTRIA for several parts of the building’s exterior.

Towering Above

Architects had a vision for the two towers that sit on either end of the new building and encase both elevators and staircases. They did not want the towers to appear utilitarian or commercial. Rather than using stone, masonry or concrete, designers sought to source an external wall solution that would be flat and smooth, delivering a modern and sleek look.

The chosen product – nearly 20,000 square feet of Formawall Dimension Series from CENTRIA in a vertical orientation.

“The architect really put to use what Formawall Dimension Series does well, and that’s cover opaque surfaces with a very flat-looking surface and also affording them the necessary insulation,” said Joe Creighton, president of SECO Architectural Systems. “The results were fantastic.”

CENTRIA’s Formawall high-performance building envelope system consolidates six wall components into one product for distinct architectural profiles in both horizontal and vertical orientations. Formawall comes with concealed clips, fasteners and sealants with insulated metal vertical joints and a pressure-equalized side joint to help prevent water infiltration. The panels are factory foamed in place, minimizing the potential for gaps within the panel. They also integrate with most glass wall, window and CS louver systems

Wearing the Crown

At the crown of the building, architects specified decorative louvers to add to the structure’s aesthetic appeal. At the same time, it was important to create a moisture barrier for the crown. That meant specifying an insulated rain barrier behind the louvers, and CENTRIA’s MetalWrap delivered the right performance metrics

“In one step, you have an insulated weather barrier behind louvers. When the louvers did go on, the building was already dry. It was a time saver in that regard,” Creighton said of MetalWrap. “It’s really easy to install. Very user friendly.”

MetalWrap insulated composite backup wall panels serve as the ultimate backup wall system for nearly any type of exterior rainscreen. The solution consists of two steel skins that are permanently bonded to a poured-in-place foam insulating core.

High Concept

On the building’s podium (between the two metal towers), architects decided to use CENTRIA’s Concept Series single-skin wall panels in a variety of places. They created a visual break from the masonry, which served as the primary cladding in that area of the building.

“The Concept panels have a ribbed profile and gave a little more interest to the podium level of the building,” Creighton added.

Concept panels feature concealed fasteners and a common-lock joint that allows the panels to be integrated with each other. They can be installed vertically or horizontally with an unbroken appearance, adding to the product’s aesthetic versatility