Since Lodi Memorial Hospital opened its doors in 1952, the hospital has evolved to meet the growing and changing needs of the community. Population growth, new technologies, privacy concerns and state seismic regulations all played a part in a capital campaign that resulted in the construction of a new four-story, 130,000-square-foot South Wing, offering 90 new patient beds, a new emergency department, an expanded birthing center and the latest diagnostic, imaging and medical technologies.

CENTRIA products played a key part in the Lodi Memorial Hospital’s new South Wing on several levels: structural integrity, cost-effective installation, performance, high aesthetic value and sustainability.

The Lodi Campus is quite expansive, but there was a tremendous desire to preserve land and minimize the physical footprint of the new structure on the existing property. This was accomplished in part by increasing the South Wing to a four-story building, but that presented issues related to California’s Seismic Building Codes. Formawall Dimension Series panels were specified because of their ability to withstand racking – an effect that most large buildings are exposed to, especially during an earthquake – because of its attachment to the substructure at only one side.

These lightweight metal panels were able to be added to the existing structure with only minor additional structural support. Formawall Dimension Series panels consist of only one component, creating a wall with superior thermal efficiency. With only one, lightweight system to install, wall construction is more efficient and cost-effective. Similarly, the lightweight nature of these panels helped keep installation time to a minimum and reduced the need for additional structural support and foundation reinforcement.

Because the South Wing would be an addition to an already expansive campus, populated with several other facilities, aesthetics were a challenge for the building team. The South Wing’s exterior had to work in concert visually – not only with the surrounding buildings to achieve a cohesive campus look, but also to make a singular statement and stand out as it incorporates both the hospital’s main entrance and its new Emergency Department entrance. Formawall Dimension Series offered virtually unlimited options in terms of form, color and texture. Using CENTRIA’s Duracast textured finish, the building team was able to mirror some of the existing pre-cast concrete buildings’ design features. The Formawall Dimension Series panels gave the hospital a contemporary look, but also blended well with other building products, including stone and glass, to provide a warm and inviting facility that looks as if it always belonged there.

In addition to the aesthetic, seismic and advanced thermal and moisture protection performance of these products, sustainability was a great concern from the hospital’s board of directors and the community at large. As such, the building team required eco-friendly products. CENTRIA’s Formawall Dimension Series and Versawall wall systems fit the bill as both are Cradle-to-Cradle CertifiedCM at the silver level. In fact, Formawall Dimension Series was the first-ever exterior building product to receive that distinction. In addition to the reduced physical footprint by going to four stories and still meeting seismic requirements, Lodi’s requirements for “Green Healthcare Construction Material Selection and Environmental Quality” notes that CENTRIA’s products provided an exterior skin that includes composite foam metal panels that are highly recyclable, use low emitting volatile organic compounds in its coatings and sealants and, because the wall systems are factory fabricated, reduced on-site waste.

As individual components and as a building envelope system on Lodi Memorial Hospital’s South Wing expansion project, CENTRIA’s products helped the building team achieve high-performance, aesthetically pleasing and environmentally friendly solutions. These in turn will help Lodi Memorial Hospital continue in its mission of providing for the healthcare of the ever-increasing population that serves.