University of Florida's, Malachowsky Hall for Data Science & Information Technology with Kynar 500® PVDF
Malachowsky Hall co-locates departments from the Colleges of Medicine, Pharmacy, and Engineering into a single facility focused on the advancement of data analytics through interdisciplinary science. With its demonstrated 50+ years of remarkable weathering performance, PPG® DURANAR® coating with Kynar 500® PVDF was selected to protect this beautiful and unique building.
Malachowsky Hall is organized around a vertical commons that creates physical and visual connections between colleges and departments across its seven levels. The design carefully balances flexibility and shared amenities with private spaces for individual departments to accommodate focused work and research.
Designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson and Walker Architects, Malachowsky Hall will feature a textured facade that protrudes and folds to create swatches of light and shadow all along its considerable length. The origami-like creases provide for some very idiosyncratic window shapes, which should quickly endear the building to the university community.
Typical floor plans include faculty offices, open student offices, and a variety of meeting rooms, classrooms, and research labs designed to adapt alongside rapidly evolving technologies and uses. Ground floor makerspaces provide dedicated environments for advancements in robotics, virtual reality, and Internet of Things (IoT). Targeting LEED Platinum, the project employs integrated strategies to increase building performance and occupant comfort, including the use of electrochromic glass in its striking trapezoidal facade, allowing ample natural light while shielding occupants from direct glare.
The purpose of this exercise was to ascertain how the prefabricated facade panels from N-RG Cladding would perform on-site, in sunny, humid north Florida.
“We desired a seamless panel and N-RG suggested making the panel completely out of aluminum plate to ensure that we would achieve the desired finish and also meet the dimensional tolerances without additional joints, due to material size limitations with other cladding options,” noted the design team.
Once the mock-up was approved, N-RG prepared a full set of shop drawings, which Bohlin Cywinski Jackson reviewed prior to fabrication of the panels.
“The system allows us to meet energy requirements—Malachowsky Hall is designed to meet LEED Gold—and design-build will facilitate a more rapid close-in of the building to meet schedule requirements,” the design team added.
While the project called for well-tuned solar mitigation in the form of a large opaque facade for the laboratories, the larger communal areas are framed by stretches of Viracon-fabricated, ceramic-fritted curtain wall.
Design architect: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
Associate architect: Walker Architects
Structural engineer: Walter P Moore
Glazing manufacturer: Viracon (curtain wall) and SageGlass (electrochromatic window glazing)
Prefabricated panel manufacturer: N-RG Cladding
Panel Coating: PPG Duranar® with Kynar 500® PVDF