Saint Barnabas Medical Center

Façade Recladding Project & Window Replacement
Client:

Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health (RWJBH)

Location:

Livingston, NJ

Year Complete:

March 2019

Saint Barnabas Medical Center is a 577-bed non-profit major teaching hospital affiliated with Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health. After the completion of an adjacent five-story $25 million addition to the original hospital. tbs Services’, Inc. initial engagement was to assess the 1960’s masonry facade of the original hospital.

Through this effort tbs was tasked with developing solutions and designs to reimagine the dated masonry façade which no longer aligned with the new modern addition.

Through a series of studies visualized through photographic renderings, tbs developed a new façade recladding design that modernizes the building and unifies the campus. Critical to the design was the consideration of the impact such a project would have on the current operation of the hospital. The development of a new façade system overlying the existing masonry structure allowed the hospital to maintain operations with very minimal disruptions. The materials, systems, and detailing of the new facade remediated the water infiltration issues via a continuous fluid-applied air and water resistive barrier and flashings as well as improved energy performance by reducing air leakage through the vertical wall surfaces. The over-cladding approach of the new façade design also provided an opportunity to reduce the building energy costs through new continuous exterior insulation, which provides greater efficiency over the original batt insulation at the interior side of the walls. In addition, the exposed fastener attachment of the façade panels was chosen to allow for convenient ease of removal for future expansions and modifications to building infrastructure. New lighting was developed to illuminate the “brow” projection in a multitude of colors to coincide with the various events and holidays.

tbs Services Inc., serving as the Architect of Record for the project, led the design team consisting of the Harman Group for structural engineering, Concord Engineering for mechanical and electrical modifications, as well as Lighting Practice consultants.