© Roland Halbe . Pubblicata il 26 Maggio 2011.

The 55 Park Street Building is a major clinical laboratory extension to the Yale-New Haven Hospital in New Haven, Connecticut; nationally recognized for its commitment to research and teaching. The site is located in the centre of the city, at the threshold between the University and the Hospital / School of Medicine. This part of the city is characterized by the divide created by the Route 34 Corridor, an incomplete urban highway project, and the distinctive, two-storey Air Rights Parking Garage. To date, several master plan studies have attempted to resolve the obvious problems associated with this divide. The 55 Park Street Laboratory is the first building which serves to link the two halves of the city and take full advantage of the amenity provided by the Air Rights Parking Garage.

© Roland Halbe . Pubblicata il 26 Maggio 2011.

The original project scope foresaw a stand-alone, multi-storey, clinical laboratory providing necessary support to the neighbouring North Pavilion Cancer Center. However, it quickly became evident that the project had the potential to serve as “gateway” to the new cancer center.

© Roland Halbe . Pubblicata il 26 Maggio 2011.

Program uses of the 55 Park Street Laboratory building include four floors of clinical laboratory space, blood bank, pharmacy, primary loading bay, administrative offices, ground floor retail, and hospital auditorium space. Within the confines of the rectilinear laboratory building the architects have created a large five-story atrium which serves as a public winter garden; affording researchers, medical staff, patients and visitors an inviting place for all to enjoy in a collective and friendly atmosphere. The winter garden also provides a clear point of orientation on a busy city corner.

© Roland Halbe . Pubblicata il 26 Maggio 2011.

The steel-framed building is clad in a high-performance curtain wall system combining highly insulated panels with either clear, colored silkscreened or opaque glazing. The mosaic-type façade pattern on the edifice, with its opaque and transparent panels, filters the natural light coming in on three sides of the building’s exterior envelope. The light, together with the imbedded colors and the interior gardens, quietly animates the Atrium space, thereby establishing a deliberate contrast to the busy street life outside.

© Roland Halbe . Pubblicata il 26 Maggio 2011.

© Roland Halbe . Pubblicata il 26 Maggio 2011.

© Roland Halbe . Pubblicata il 26 Maggio 2011.

© Roland Halbe . Pubblicata il 26 Maggio 2011.

© Roland Halbe . Pubblicata il 26 Maggio 2011.