Cambridge Health Alliance – Somerville Campus

The 130-year-old Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) Somerville Campus, formerly known as Somerville Hospital, is a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School (HMS) north of Boston offering urgent care, primary care, women’s health, and inpatient psychiatry services for children and youth.

When it embarked on a significant renovation of two floors to make them more suitable for behavioral health treatments, project architect Lavallee Brensinger Architects knew they could rely on Unicel Architectural to help upgrade the facility’s legacy window system. Unicel Architectural was contracted to furnish nearly 40 window units, including spandrel panels and its award-winning, AAMA 501.8 certified Vision Control® for Behavioral Health for exterior and interior applications.

“Unicel Architectural was very responsive,” said Lavallee Brensinger Project Architect Rami Haydar. “Their windows can be customized, and their engineers were helpful in solving unique conditions.”

CHA Somerville Campus’ inpatient behavioral health facilities now benefit from:

• American Architectural Manufacturers’ Association (AAMA) 501.8 performance certification for resistance to human impacts (2,000 ft-lbs), to protect against violent force and shattering
• Discreet monitoring through adjustable louvers that can be positioned to provide viewing from one area to another, but not in the opposite direction
• Comfort and natural light along with precision temperature, daylight, privacy, and sound control through advanced hollow-chambered louvers
• Ligature-resistant louver operators such as knobs, thumbwheels, or even motorized operation for patient safety
• A Sound Transmission Class (STC) rating on par with concrete block walls
• Hermetically sealed for minimal cleaning and maximum hygiene
• LEED compliant daylight and thermal efficiencies

Lavallee Brensinger combined Unicel Architectural’s louvered insulating glass units (IGUs) for behavioral health with other treatment and safety features such as texture and colors on walls and floors, plenty of artwork, organic floor tile patterns, soft materials, and rounded furniture. It all adds up to a safer, more tranquil healing environment for staff, patients, and their families.

Cambridge Health Alliance benefited from Vision Control® for Behavioral Health, which was selected as a Finalist in the Glass & Glazing category of the 2022 Architizer A+Product Awards! Check it out: winners.architizer.com/2022/Products