Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health
A Cerebral Example of Extraordinary Custom Design
One of the most unique and startling structures built this century, the Cleveland Clinic’s Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health is a bent bundle of twists and synapses. Its architect, the iconic Frank Gehry, once described it as “not only a metaphor of the brain, but a metaphor of the diseases we’re trying to solve.”
The building’s complex outer cortex is a fascinating wall configuration, with complex fenestration. And just as the brain processes information and commands the body, the Center for Brain Health’s shading solution displays similar processing and control.
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Location
Las Vegas, Nevada -
Architect
Gehry Partners, LLP -
Products
SolarTrac Automated Shades
ElectroShade motorized shades
ThermoVeil shade cloth
Lou Ruvo Center, Las Vegas NV
Project Goals
About 200 total windows are exposed to the desert’s brutal sun, and the differences in their design are vast. Some are flat, others angled; their geometric shapes include squares, rhomboids, and trapezoids.
Controls based simply on sunny or cloudy conditions weren’t sufficient for Las Vegas’s harsh conditions. Automation would require identifying the specific heat loads measured in BTUs on all glazing.
Lou Ruvo Center, Las Vegas NV
Project Solutions
To solve the problem of a bending and undulating skin face, each roller shade incorporates a spring motor—while some feature tensioned shades controlled by dual motors. The shading systems are configured for top-down, bottom-up, and—for the first time—sideways operation. Customized ElectroShade brackets and unique pivoting guide-wheel assemblies also address this issue.
Based on heat loads on each window, SolarTrac automation automatically positions shades at full up, half down, and full down. The ThermoVeil shade cloth's dense weave and 3% openness filter the sun and provide heat-gain reduction for a comfortable environment.
Lou Ruvo Center, Las Vegas, NV
Project Results
The ElectroShades at Lou Ruvo, controlled by SolarTrac, let in daylight when up and maintain views to the outside when down. Both factors are proven to support positive patient outcomes.
In 2016, the EPA honored Cleveland Clinic as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year in Energy Management for its outstanding efforts to improve efficiency across all facilities. The organization had previously accepted the Better Buildings Challenge to reduce energy usage 20 percent by 2020.
The shading system at the Lou Ruvo Center has contributed to this goal, demonstrating appreciable energy savings by limiting the demand for artificial lighting and HVAC.