Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes

Florida Hospital | Sanford-Burnham Institute
Orlando, Florida

Architect: Flad Architects
Owner: Florida Hospital
Contractor: Brasfield & Gorrie, LLC

Built on a small urban site, the TRI is a landmark building for Florida Hospital and the signature building in their new Health and Research Village, a mixed-use development of research facilities, clinics, commercial buildings, and residential housing. The new research institute portrays a high-level image and identity along the primary street, yet creates a sense of privacy for clinical volunteers entering the building. 

The framework for the exterior development, based on the planning module and a series of horizontal regulating lines provided a simple yet elegant expression. Visual interest relies on the massing of the building and the use of materials with color and texture to provide scale and character, all complimented by the use of required functional building elements such as the stairs and sun-screens as detailed accents.  A limited pallet of sand colored terra-cotta, white precast wall panels, glass curtain wall, and trapezoid shaped metal panels of varying shades of blue, acting as a reflection of the Florida sky, make up the skin of the building.

The exterior of the building has a transformative nature as day turns into night. The terra-cotta and glass enclosed staircases that visually anchor both ends of the building act as lanterns at night in the urban landscape. The building’s main street façade, made up of stainless steel sunscreens, shifts from a solid form to a more transparent appearance at night revealing an illuminated curtain wall that visually hints at the research discoveries occurring within.

The building is organized in an ‘L’ configuration creating a landscaped arrival court in the middle of the site for volunteers to access the building in privacy.  An outdoor room, complete with a garden and water feature, acts as the forecourt to the main entry which opens into a modest two-story lobby.  In the center of the lobby, an ornamental staircase connects the first two floors and runs along a feature wall with a two-story interactive digital display focused on the mission and science within the facility.

The research institute was designed with sustainable measures and standards in mind for achieving LEED Gold certification.  In addition to providing local materials, light colored roofing, and a reduced impact on the site, daylight and views played an important role in the interior development of the building, providing access to almost every habitable space.  This required the adoption of stainless-steel sun shading devices that not only provide a practical application, but give the building a unique exterior aesthetic. An outdoor terrace at the second level was also provided for volunteers and staff and is bordered on either side by green vegetated roofs.

Photos: Jim Roof Creative

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