Providence Portland North Pavilion

Location: Portland

Project team: Western Partitions, wall and ceiling contractor; Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership, architect; Turner Construction Co., general contractor; 9Wood Inc., manufacturer

The North Pavilion, part of Providence Portland Medical Center, houses comprehensive cancer treatment facilities in a 490,000-square-foot, 11-story tower. It has 250 patient beds and 21 operating rooms.

The building’s suspended wood ceilings were an important part of its design. They appear to be simple, but are complex assemblies prefabricated with quarter-inch reveals.

The ceilings use 16-inch-wide wood panels that are a combination of solid beech grills with European steamed beech veneered linear members. They were designed to complement the hospital’s other design elements, with gentle curves and warm wood tones. Fiberglass batts were installed above the panels to reduce sound transmission.

To simplify the installation process and assure the work’s precision, ceiling components were individually labeled and located to the site’s as-built conditions. That required five shop drawing revisions.

A special installation tool had to be made to reach inside the panels’ tiny gaps to adjust them for seismic compliance.

Judge’s comment: “The interior space is very inviting because of the large number of ceiling shapes designed and constructed with wood, which help avoid the look of an institutional environment. Precision layout and craftsmanship brought about the unique and organic aesthetics of this space.”