Challenge

Providing visibility for the nursing staff was paramount when designing the door. “We wanted certain sight lines. We wanted certain amounts of privacy for the bathrooms, and it had to meet certain openings per building code,” explained Brian Sykes, Healthcare Practice Leader at Perkins&Will. In addition to having a unique shape, the door needed to be strong and durable to withstand the constant use it would receive in a healthcare environment. The team had to ensure that the door would stay rigid over time despite its curve. 

Solution

A collaborative process between CS, the architects, the design firm, and the construction manager resulted in a behemoth of a door—wider than most standard doors and exhibiting Acrovyn's tried and true durability. “The doors themselves are not regular doors; if you’re looking at doors, they’re like a Humvee of a door. They’re very, very durable,” said Boardman.

In addition to its sheer size, extra ribbing and support were added to this uniquely shaped door to ensure it remains tough for the long haul. “The cherry on top, the icing on the cake, was the durable Acrovyn finish to make sure we had a good, durable clean surface,” said Matt Kidwell, Senior Project Manager at Skanska USA Building Inc. “One of the things that I am most proud of with this door that we worked on with CS is when you open it, it feels really grounded and like you are sheltered by that door,” said Sykes. We couldn’t agree more.