UCSD Jacobs Medical Center, a 509,000-square-foot, 245-bed medical and surgical specialty hospital, showcases how advanced glass technology can enhance both aesthetics and patient experience. The hospital’s gleaming, curvilinear façade features a point-fixed structural glass system fabricated with Solarban® 70XL glass on Starphire Ultra-Clear® glass by Vitro Glass, combining high performance with a visually striking design. To achieve the architect’s desired whitish exterior, a customized silk-screened white frit was applied to the Starphire Ultra-Clear® glass and laminated onto the Solarban® 70XL panels.
Performance specifications of the glass are notable: visible light transmittance (VLT) of 64 percent, solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) of 0.27, and a light-to-solar gain (LSG) ratio of 1.85, enabled by the triple-silver coating engineered for Starphire Ultra-Clear® glass. Over 100,000 square feet of glass were installed, including 11-foot, 8-inch floor-to-ceiling patient room windows, spandrel shadow-box glazing, and a front-glazed unitized curtain wall with more than 40 radiused dimensions, including concave and convex surfaces.
The transparent, solar-control low-e glass provides patients with clear views of La Jolla’s hills and ocean, abundant daylight, and glare and noise control, creating a calming, healing environment. Fabrication and logistics were coordinated through Vitro Certified™ fabricator Northwestern Industries, Inc. (NWI) and the Vitro Concierge Program™, ensuring timely delivery to ENCLOS, the glazing contractor.
This careful combination of design, technology, and performance not only met aesthetic and functional goals but also contributed to the hospital’s LEED® Silver certification, demonstrating that high-performance glass can be both beautiful and sustainable. 
Source: Vitro with additional information added by Glass Balkan
