A Brand-New Medical Institute with Advanced Thermal Performance
When Emory Musculoskeletal Institute opened its doors on Oct. 7, 2021, its goal was to take patient care and research to new levels. This six-story, 180,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility is the latest addition to Emory’s Executive Park Innovation District. Designed to be a patient- and family-centered facility, the Institute helps people regain physical motion after an injury through the diagnosis, treatment, and repair of bones, joints, and connective tissue.
The stunning building facade invokes a feeling of fluidity and motion with very few hard angles. The research center on the sixth floor, however, purposefully juts out of the otherwise curvilinear facade, representing a look toward the future in research breakthroughs and patient outcomes.
YKK AP’s thermally broken YCW750XT and YCW750XT IG curtain wall systems served as the basis of design due to the systems’ flexibility, thermal performance, and available customizations, particularly an anodized finish and ability to customize the systems’ extrusion profiles.
The building’s interior design elements are inspired by features of the human anatomy, including patterns on the floor and ceilings that resemble muscle and tendon movement, glass patterned to look like nerves, elevator interiors that display artistic versions of bone cross-sections, and wood components designed with the hard striation of bone in mind.
Sustainability was critical to the institute’s design, with lighting and thermal performance at the center. Solutions ranging from sensor lighting to automatic tinting glass and strategic indoor lighting that reduces light pollution in the neighboring areas – all demonstrate Emory’s desire for a sustainable building.
Targeting LEED Gold certification, other sustainable building features include innovative stormwater management through the use of bio-swales, retention ponds, and underground stormwater systems; special monitors that trigger increased fresh air flow in populated areas; an app that allows touchless entry, elevator calls, and adjustment of thermostats and lighting.
The team behind the Emory Musculoskeletal Institute has taken every consideration in making the facility a destination for patients, physicians, and researchers alike, further solidifying Emory’s reputation for excellence and innovation.
