Situated in a maturing neighborhood in East Boulder County, Boulder Community Health’s newest medical office building supports an eye clinic and an ambulatory surgery center for a leading Colorado retina practice. The surgery center features two operating rooms and a space designed for retinal laser procedures. The building will ultimately accommodate four to five medical practices in a small footprint.

This 29,650-s.f. two-story structure is the second building on the site, and its design carries over the use of CMU block as the base material palette of its neighbor; however, while the first building is bold and highly patterned, Boulder Associates elected for softer colors here to elicit a subtle contrast between the two.

The building’s south-facing entrance is punctuated by a dynamic canopy prepped to accommodate an enormous 99kW photovoltaic array, while a bright, high-volume lobby reaches up to a second-floor balcony perched beneath that canopy.

The building is one of only two projects in the country to showcase emerging hybrid vacuum-insulated glass technology designed to improve occupant comfort by reducing thermal transmittance and convection at the windows. While typical insulated glass is around R-4, hybrid vacuum-insulated glass is R-14, making the overall R-value similar to that of a wall. This significantly reduces heat/cold transfer through the glass, resulting in more stable room temperatures and year-round energy efficiency.

The energy-efficient glazing prototype was a good fit with the client’s commitment to sustainability, and Boulder Associates worked closely with the fabricator during the pilot project for this innovative technology. This project serves as the perfect test site for a potential new take on energy-efficient design in a locale known for significant temperature swings and 300 days of sunshine per year.