ALTIPLAN, a firm of architects with offices in Brussels and Liège, recently designed the remodelling of the façade of the Saint Jean Hospital situated in the centre of the Belgian capital. One of the country's largest hospitals, the Saint Jean overlooks a crucial artery in the city's road network, which is among the most congested in Europe. The remodelling of the façade therefore had to ensure high levels of sound insulation and pollution-resistance, as well as offering adequate thermal insulation to keep energy consumption down.
Philippe de Roos, of ALTIPLAN architects, immediately opted for a curtain wall – a well established construction technique that offers enhanced energy-saving and sound insulation characteristics – and decided to build it with Neolith* panels.
"In an area as polluted as this, the mineral composition and non-porous structure of a sintered covering like Neolith," explained Philippe De Roos, "make the cladding of the façade strong, hygienic and capable of preventing the proliferation of bacteria and fungi, all of which make it ideal for a healthcare environment." The compact surface of the Neolith panels also makes it easier to remove dirt and graffiti, and is immune to attack by the chemicals found in cleaning products.
"The thermal insulation of the offices and hospital areas were another critical point in the design of the façade," continued the architect. "That's why we decided to fix the Neolith panels (which are lightweight despite their size, thanks to their slim structure, ed.) on a VM system and keep a 15 cm gap between the building and the curtain wall, so as to increase the thermal insulation by means of the airflow generated inside it."
"As well as significantly reducing temperature swings," added De Roos, "the multi-layer structure of the curtain wall also reduces noise levels considerably, which was another of the priorities set by the Saint Jean Hospital in the tender specification."
The need to take account of energy efficiency and durability has not adversely affected the styling of the façade, however, which is anything but anonymous. Philippe de Roos explained: “We selected the Nieve and Nero panels to create a high-sheen monochrome exterior that would retain the modular rhythm of the upper windows and create a random two-tone effect. By replicating this pattern on the ceiling of the covered car park, we gave the building a coherent aesthetic that would perpetuate its structural and architectural value long into the future.”