Health Care Has Huge Potential For Metal Roofs, Walls & Buildings

Shawn Zuver, editorial/content director

These facilities all have something in common: Fletcher Allen Health Center, Village Hospital, Princess Anne Outpatient Medical Center, Hippocrates Health Clinic, UTSW Medical Center, Chapa-De Indian Health Clinic, University Of Washington Medicine - Lake Union, Family Eye & ENT Center, United Children’s Hospital, Asplane Medical, Loyola University Hospital, Favilli Family Medical, Dayton Children’s Outpatient Care Center, 84th Avenue Medical, Eye Center South, and Flowers Medical.

The obvious connection is that they’re all medical-related, yet they have something more than that in common. That unifying thread, of course, is that metal construction products are featured on each of these health care facilities.

Health care has been a key item on the Obama Administration’s agenda lately, and the debate about private and public insurance programs is catching the eyes and ears of seemingly everyone here in the United States. And with good reason because, depending on what is or isn’t done through future legislation, current health care action will potentially affect every single person in the country for decades to come.

Over the past 25 years, I’ve been pleased to see the increasing amount of metal construction products—metal building systems, cold-formed steel stud framing, metal roofing, and ribbed and smooth metal wall panels—that are being used in health care construction sectors, both for new projects and retrofit/renovation.

We were so impressed by the influx of metal products in medical facilities, that we’ve just published the Best Of DesignandBuildwithMetal.com Health Care Facilities Edition, 2009. This special ezine is packed with all 16 of the case studies that I mentioned above—covering everything from single-practice offices to multi-story hospitals, and demonstrating the vast potential for metal products in this growing market segment. To check out the Health Care ezine, click here.

In case you’re interested in how those 16 health care projects shape up geographically, I should point out that they range from New England and down the East Coast of the United States into Florida, across the country through Texas and into California, up the West Coast to Washington and back across to Minnesota. They also represent interior states like Ohio, Colorado, Indiana, Alabama and Illinois. The use of metal in health care construction obviously knows no geographic boundaries.

Let’s face it, as the Baby Boomer generation continues to march into the retirement years, there are going to be more ailments that require medical treatment. And, with an increased emphasis on preventative care, we’re likely to see growing numbers of younger people making regular visits to health care professionals. One thing for certain is that the need for health care facilities has seen remarkable growth over the past decade or two, and there is no apparent end in sight to the need for additional facilities.

With a tremendous amount of benefits to offer—from low life-cycle costs to environmental benefits to aesthetics—metal construction products appear poised to play key roles in future health care projects.

In addition to our Best Of DesignandBuildwithMetal.com Health Care Facilities Edition, 2009 ezine, you can also browse Health Care facilities in our Project Type Gallery.

Shawn Zuver is editorial/content director for DesignandBuildwithMetal.com. He has been covering the metal construction industry, including residential and non-residential construction, since 1985. To contact Shawn, call (419) 581-2051 or email shawnz@designandbuildwithmetal.com.  

To view other columns by Shawn or other columnists, click here.