A medical client recently relocated from a small, dreary, windowless office to a gorgeous, bright and cheery facility for urgent care and specialty procedures. A large segment of the clientele receives IV (intravenous) Infusion Therapy and the lengthy treatment requires patients to sit while they drip for several hours. So designing a large, comfortable, bright and pleasant therapy lounge with daylighting capable of accommodating ten patients was an important design element to the doctor.
The design team placed the IV Infusion Lounge against the west windows which have commanding views of downtown Manhattan giving patients who are seated in large comfy lounge chairs a view often reserved for the CEO. A larger nurse’s and mixing station adorns the back wall also facing west.
An unanticipated consequence of western exposure and daylighting is direct sunlight. Its UV rays are unwelcome since heat spills in at sunset spoiling the drug fluids sitting out on counters as well as the mixed IV bags hanging on their poles. The nursing staff had to constantly lower the regular and blackout shades during the day when the shades were intended simply for privacy during the evening. The problem caused the treatment lounge to be dark and gloomy once again which was contrary to giving patients a room with a view while they endured their lengthy procedures.
So what’s a doctor to do? Our solution was to apply Huper Optik’s Drei ceramic commercial window tint. It rejected heat and UV rays that not only protected the drugs, but allowed the window shades to be open and the room to be used as designed. We are very pleased with the product’s performance.
The following are specs from the sales consultant.
- VOC free nano-ceramic window films that increase performance of existing glass
- 100% dye-free and metal-free films – no demetallisation from corrosion or discoloration from fading dyes
- Films block up to 98% of Infrared light – the main cause of heat
- Films block more than 99% of UV light – the main cause of fading
- Films are applied to existing single and dual paned glass
- Reject the unwanted solar heat gain while allowing the desired visible light transmission
- Use of films allows for significant reductions in embodied energy over full window replacements
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Richard this also sounds like another great opportunity for LED lighting as most florescent lights emit UV light and LED do not. LED lights have come a long way in the past year or so and many now provide high quality color rendering in warm, neutral and bright white light at significantly lower operating cost than florescent lights. With a considerably longer life they reduce maintenance costs as well.