Metal Doors & Frames Unify Medical Complex

NOVI, Michigan--April 11, 2000

Metal doors and frames are providing a combination of architectural consistency and durability at the growing Providence Medical Center--Providence Park, in Novi, Michigan. Their versatility has played a role in maintaining a uniform appearance throughout the multi-phase construction project, which combines medical office occupancies with health care facilities.

Located about 30 miles northwest of downtown Detroit, the Novi area is experiencing rapid and steady population growth. About eight years ago, Providence Hospital and Medical Centers, headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, began development at the Providence Park site with the first phase of a multi-faceted campus that offers a comprehensive array of outpatient diagnostic and therapeutic services. Physician office buildings adjoin the medical center. Future phases envisioned for Providence Park include expanded comprehensive outpatient services, an inpatient hospital, and residential facilities for the elderly.

General contractor and construction manager for the ongoing project is the George W. Auch Company, Pontiac, Michigan. Roy Stewart has been project manager since the beginning. Dan Brodzik, AHC and VP-Commercial Sales, has been the project manager since its inception.

All doors and hardware were supplied through Detroit Door & Hardware Co., Madison Heights, Michigan. Steelcraft doors and frames are the standard for a wide range of applications, from entrances to doctors' suites to smoke and fire doors separating the office and health care occupancies. In many cases, these are combined with the company's architectural components to create sidelites and borrowed lites that support the desired unified appearance. Durability is also an important factor, with the strength of steel providing greater longevity, particularly in more demanding locations that may be exposed to carts or gurneys.

The Detroit Door & Hardware firm was founded in 1952 and last year had sales of about $23.5 million. The company has three divisions, including hollow metal doors, frames and hardware; overhead doors; and loading dock equipment. As a fabricating distributor, Detroit Door has the capabilities to create large window assemblies from Steelcraft's architectural wall components, sometimes referred to as a "stick system." The firm serves the area bounded by Ann Arbor, Saginaw/Bay City/Midland, Lake Huron and the Michigan-Ohio border.

Sticking with the Standard

Since building began more than seven years ago, each phase has used the same door and hardware products throughout, including Steelcraft doors and frames, Von Duprin exit devices, LCN door closers, and Schlage locksets. In a project such as this, built in several phases, consistency provides visual continuity while also simplifying maintenance and operations. Spare parts, stock items, service procedures and training can all be minimized when standards are maintained as the project progresses. The ongoing process also provides an opportunity for partnering between supplier and builder team members to develop more effective ways of meeting project goals.

On the Job

One major consideration in a medical complex such as Providence Park is separating the hospital occupancy from the office areas. In any jurisdiction, door and hardware requirements for the two usages differ markedly. Hospitals and related medical facilities typically require fire and smoke doors that can be open to allow passage but must close automatically if the fire alarm system is activated. There are several ways to accomplish this, including pairs of electromagnetic hold-opens and door closers. At Providence Park, some of the single doors that must close in case of fire are equipped with LCN Sentronic¨ electrically controlled closer/holders. These hold the door open until a current interruption, activated by the building's fire alarm system, releases the hold-open mechanism and allows the door to close.

Thomas Wu, P.E., Director-Administrative Operations for Providence Park Medical Center, explained the need to separate the hospital areas from the medical offices. "It's designed as a user-friendly facility, so if you go to a doctor's office and need special testing, you can just walk down the open corridor and get it. Because the AD&T (Ambulatory Diagnostic & Treatment) Building is built under hospital standards, all building usage separations have to be two-hour fire rated, and the connecting corridor doors have to close automatically."

Welded frames with Steelcraft doors are used throughout the complex, except for the interior of the medical office suites, which utilize drywall frames. Frank Consitt, the project superintendent with George W. Auch Company, estimates the total number of doors installed to date at close to 1,000.