“Bringing the team members on board who are ultimately responsible for the manufacturing and installation of certain key building elements allowed for an enhanced level of collaboration, review and decision making. The ability to incorporate sophisticated patterning and unique forms in large format panel sizes is a characteristic perfectly suited to architectural precast.” – Rupert Brown, associate principal and senior vice president of HKS
Given the numbers and varieties of precast panels needed for Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center’s nine-story, 300,000-square-foot tower and adjoining four-story 600-car, hybrid-parking structure, Gate Precast’s design-assistance was invaluable. Gate turned to two of its Florida facilities, architectural precast cladding produced in Kissimmee and the structural components were produced in Jacksonville to supply the project’s voluminous material needs.
HKS Architects contracted with Gate early in a design-assist format due to the complexity of the facade systems.
One of the keys to success was the attention given to the pre-production process. The designers had two primary areas of concern – the large tapered sections on the tower and the diamond-patterned façade of the Hope Wall, which forms a portion of the project landscape and shapes the view of the project from the southwest corner. As such, the designers wanted sharp details on the panels.
