Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Medical Clinic Aims High With Birdair

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Heery International  believe that a state-of-the-art medical center deserves state-of-the-art building products and that is why they tapped Birdair to design and construct the roofing system for the new Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Medical Clinic. Birdair will provide its revolutionary insulated tensioned membrane system that will serve as the 14,500 square foot roof of the new facility.

“Birdair is honored to be part of the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Medical Clinic project,” said Dave Capezzuto, Vice President of Business Development, Birdair, Inc. “The men and women who serve our country deserve a top notch medical facility and Birdair’s Tensotherm™ roof is a vital part of the new building. It’s a great solution for enclosed spaces and will be an excellent choice for the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Medical Clinic.”

The medical clinic was originally designed by Leo A. Daly Architecture Firm. Heery International is working as the general contractor, architect and engineer on the project. Birdair’s scope of work includes design, fabrication, supply and installation of the roofing system.

The Birdair roofing system features an insulated tensioned membrane composite system called Tensotherm™. Helping to achieve and enhance thermal performance, this system utilizes an 8mm translucent blanket of aerogel insulation, the world’s lightest insulating solid. Not only does Tensotherm™ provide natural daylighting within the space below, but the insulation blanket also performs as an excellent dampener of sound.

New and Improved

The Seymour Johnson Air Force Base’s new 107,000-square-foot medical clinic in Goldsboro, N.C., will replace an existing 5­0-year-old facility. The current clinic building is a 98,000 square foot single-story structure that was originally built in 1957 and was comprised of approximately 36,200 square feet with a later addition in 1975, as well as two much smaller additions in 1988 and 1995.

The new $60 million state-of-the-art primary care center will be a two-story clinic that will serve 18 different clinical disciplines within the new space. These disciplines will include family health, physical therapy, pediatrics, pharmacy, mental health, optometry and a clinical lab.

The clinic will be built for LEED for Healthcare standards and is targeted to achieve LEED Silver certification. The building will employ the latest designs and materials to achieve energy savings and reduce waste as well as offer ample natural light—for energy savings as well as to create welcoming and recuperative places for patients and staff.

Innovative Product

Heery International selected Birdair for their design and installation expertise as well as for their unique insulated tensile fabric roofing material, Tensotherm™, which is the world’s first and only translucent and insulated tensile fabric roofing material. It’s a composite material comprised of three components: PTFE fiberglass fabric membrane exterior skin; a translucent blanket, embedded with revolutionary Lumira™ aerogel thermal and acoustic insulation; and a PTFE fiberglass acoustic or vapor barrier interior liner.

Only Tensotherm™ provides invaluable benefits directly to people living and working under it. These include: diffused glare-free natural daylight; enhanced temperature control, even in the most extreme environments; remarkable acoustics; and innovative sustainability. Several studies document these benefits and show improved teaching and learning for schools, improved productivity for offices and manufacturing facilities, improved sales for shopping malls and improved healing rates in hospitals.

Tensotherm™ offers superior thermal insulation and dampening of acoustics, but it’s also surprisingly lightweight. Comprised of 95 percent air, aerogel is the world’s lightest solid material, making Cabot Corporation’s Lumira® aerogel a perfect fit for lightweight PTFE fiberglass fabric membrane. Together, this combination of materials delivers a composite system that is lighter than any other insulated roofing option. The light weight eliminates the need for heavy supporting structures, minimizing material usage and cost, and reducing energy consumption for shipping and installation.

Finally, Tensotherm™ can also cover large spaces while maintaining its superior longevity. It is engineered to be installed in tension, over vast expanses, through proven construction methodologies of tensile architecture. No other insulated roofing material can create a long-span roof more efficiently than Tensotherm™. Plus, it is extremely durable and weather resistant in any climate. Moreover, conventional PTFE fiberglass roofs have life-spans in excess of 30 years.

Lumira® is registered trademark of Cabot Corporation.