Loma Linda University Medical School was ranked among the top 15 percent of medical schools by the 2011 Association of American Medical Colleges, Medical School Missions Management Tool report. The new Loma Linda University Medical Center opened in April of 2011 and was designed to reflect this excellence. The cutting-edge, 273,207 sq. ft. facility added more than 100 beds to the existing facility. The building, one of the tallest buildings in Murrieta, CA’s Inland Empire, includes a 19-bed emergency room, intensive care unit, labor and delivery center and a specialty Children’s Hospital. More specifically, it includes a state-of-the-art Pediatric Heart Surgery unit to support the medical school’s focus on that specialty. CENTRIA architectural metal products played a key part in the medical center’s construction.

The goal of the hospital’s large scale renovation and addition was to enhance the teaching program, while also enabling physicians and surgeons to provide first-class medical care to patients. The building’s height and color reflect both its standing in the community and its healing mission statement. Building designers hoped that the windows would flood the building with bright light reflected off the vibrant white façade, creating an optimistic environment for patients and visitors alike.

Loma Linda University Medical Center designers chose CENTRIA Formawall® Dimension Series®, Formavue™ Windows and Profile Series exterior metal wall panels to help them create a dramatic and influential aesthetic without sacrificing performance.

CENTRIA’s Formawall Dimension Series is the only wall system that provides both advanced thermal efficiency and moisture control in a single panelized component. This extraordinary performance, combined with easily integrated wall components such as the Formavue windows that are used heavily in this project’s design, make Formawall a preferred metal wall system. The system’s ability to provide designers with unlimited possibilities in form, color and texture allowed Loma Linda’s designers to achieve a vibrant white aesthetic. While traditional multi-component wall systems require seven separate components, including a rainscreen, an air barrier, exterior gypsum sheathing, fiberglass insulation and a vapor barrier, this product is manufactured as one component. This not only creates a wall with superior thermal efficiency and moisture control, but one that helped Loma Linda University Medical Center keep on track with its two-year construction goal.

Flooding the building with bright light was an important building goal for Loma Linda Hospital designers, and Formavue windows were the ideal choice because they eliminate the problems associated with coordinating window and metal panel system intersections. Designed to integrate seamlessly with Formawall Dimension Series panels, Formavue windows accommodate a variety of fenestrations and construction types. Formavue window systems are attractive, weather resistant and feature a standard thermal break for enhanced thermal performance. They also offer a distinct, clean aesthetic without sacrificing building performance.

CENTRIA’s Profile Series Econolap ¾”, a versatile and widely used metal panel system, is designed for horizontal and vertical installation. These panels may be used with a variety of non-insulated or insulated back-up systems in a wide range of designs and colors. The all-weather installation capabilities of Profile Series Econolap ¾” were especially important for this project because it helped construction stay within the two-year completion goal.