The Veterans Affairs (VA) Phoenix Outpatient Clinic offers comprehensive care to patients, including primary care, mental health treatment, radiology, OB-GYN care, pharmacy services, and more. Thanks to the addition of an outpatient clinic, the new facility enables the VA to expand telehealth and virtual care services alongside on-site care. With 460 exam and consultation rooms, the new clinic is one of the largest VA facilities ever built and expects to serve more than 500,000 patients each year.

For the new five-story, 280,000-square-foot outpatient facility, architects used their experience on more than 30 VA facilities to reflect veterans’ health needs and promote a relaxing environment. The design team turned to the trusted expertise of CENTRIA for a sustainable, multi-material facade to reflect Arizona’s vibrant colors.

Designed to Perform

Around the entryway to the VA clinic, the project team specified 11,000 square feet of CENTRIA Formawall Dimension Series to create flat, flush walls that met design and performance requirements. The Gray Velvet panels integrated with glass panels and served as a feature to welcome patients into the care center.

Formawall Dimension Series insulated metal panels combine six wall components into one product for distinct wall profiles that match any design and deliver a high-performing solution. The panels integrate well with glass wall and louver systems, enabling unprecedented design freedom.

The VA Phoenix clinic included the integration of custom sunshades for management of temperature and a reduction of energy costs and lower carbon footprint. The sunshades were manufactured by multiple manufacturers and integrated into the building envelope design in collaboration with CENTRIA.

“Passive sun control was a critical design element for this project given its location in the Arizona desert,” said Brian Finnegan, Midwest regional manager for CENTRIA. “It took highly skilled tradesmanship from the installers and a detailed design plan for the panel sizing and spacing to integrate efficiently.”

For the majority of the building envelope, designers used 24,000 square feet of CENTRIA Concept Series single-skin wall panels and EcoScreen BR5-36 perforated screenwalls in Allura Sedona, Allura Clay, and Pewter. The Allura Earth Series coating delivered an aesthetic that matched the desert surroundings. The parking structure is clad in matching perforated Concept Series panels in the same Sedona and Clay coatings.

“For federally funded projects, such as the VA Phoenix Clinic, CENTRIA offers a building envelope system that is easy to secure and does not require additional structural supports,” said Finnegan. “CENTRIA products are easy to install and highly insulated, delivering savings for federally funded buildings, and available in vibrant colors to meet design intent.”

Concept Series single-skin wall panels feature concealed fasteners and a common-lock joint that allows the panels to fully integrate with each other with an unbroken appearance. With the option to install horizontally or vertically, Concept Series provides design versatility and flexibility as a rainscreen.

EcoScreen BR5-36 perforated screenwalls combine an airy aesthetic with high performance, blending an industrial aesthetic with the surroundings. EcoScreen controls light and air movement while concealing equipment through staggered, uniformly spaced perforations. The perforated panels are created using 20-gauge stainless steel and 0.040″ painted aluminum and can be coated in any CENTRIA finish.

The Allura Earth Series coating delivers a low-gloss finish with matte colors to mimic the desired aesthetics of terra cotta, stone, or masonry while maintaining the high performance of metal panels.

Care Delivered

The new outpatient facility opened in the Spring of 2022. It has been named Best Healthcare Project in the Engineering News-Record Southwest region and was a recipient of an Excellence in Sustainability Award of Merit by Engineering News-Record Southwest.