In 2008, we were asked to install a large window package on Fall Creek Medical Plaza, a 16,000 square foot building in Granbury, Texas. FCMP turned out to be a beautiful, Hill-Country style success.
This view of the whole building shows the entry vestibule. In this case, the architect chose to use a significant amount of glass around the vestibule. This feature allows visitors to transition from the bright outside, to the shaded porte-cochere, to the enclosed vestibule, and then into the cooler front lobby. Unlike many buildings with a short vestibule, this building was designed with a full 14 feet between sets of automatic sliding glass doors, so the automatic doors GDW installed worked properly. (Many architects don’t allow enough space between door sets, but 14 feet is best for transit and for keeping conditioned air inside.)
In this photo, you can see the clerestory windows above the primary roofline. These windows light the two-story lobby, and the area above the “building in a building” that houses the registration staff. This area looks like a stacked-stone prairie home with a metal roof – inside the main building! The clerestory windows provide soft outside light, hinting at dappled light coming through imaginary oak trees above.
The first-floor exterior windows are commercial storefront, with bronzed aluminum frames and between-the-glass mullions (grid). The builder used a stone header and bottom sill to outline these attractive windows. He also chose a moderately-tinted Low-E glass to protect the interior from the strong afternoon sun on this west face of the building.
