Publication

Saint-Gobain Commercial Solutions partners with Principle Long-Term Care to set a new standard in senior and assisted care

Principle Long Term Care, Inc. (Principle LTC) is one of the leading providers of senior healthcare services in the Southeastern United States specializing in long-term care. Principle currently operates 56 centers (~7,200 beds) in North Carolina, Virginia, and Kentucky, offering services ranging from short-term transitional care to Alzheimer’s and dementia care. 

Client Objective

With a goal to set a new standard in senior and assisted care, Principle LTC is raising the bar for facilities and services in their category. Principle’s new management committed to providing the highest quality of care while also ensuring the environment of each facility is of the highest quality. Focusing on improving the experience leads to a better state of wellbeing for residents and staff, reduces medication use, and improve residents’ restorative sleep. 

In 2019, the management team dedicated themselves to designing state of the art facilities in which they would proudly have their own family members heal and live. Four new 70,000 square foot flagship residences are planned to be built along with renovations to their existing locations to meet this objective. 

Analysis

Leveraging broad expertise in building science and occupant comfort, Saint-Gobain Commercial Solutions helped Principle to identify several potential risks in achieving its objectives through a holistic analysis A few of the risks identified were:

Noise

Due to numerous hard surfaces in dining, multipurpose, and social gathering areas, noise was identified as a major risk factor. 
Additionally, since sleep quality is a key area of consideration for healing more quickly, limiting noise from the corridors and room-to-room was critical in order to reduce the risk of disrupting the sleep of residents.

Glare

The significant amount of proposed glass in the dining hall created a greater thermal and glare risk. The beneficial views and connection to nature would only lead to unwanted heat gain and glare, creating an uncomfortable experience for the residents.

Moisture
In reviewing the detailed drawings, moisture intrusion was identified as another risk, especially where various materials come together, like around windows and other areas that are susceptible to leaks.
 

To help Principle get it right the first time, insights from the design and construction of similar projects, including the Saint-Gobain Headquarters, were shared. Saint-Gobain experts completed design reviews, provided system recommendations with details, and conducted Building Science modeling for Acoustics, Daylighting, and Moisture properties to help the Principle team make more confident decisions in the final designs for its investments. 

Solution & Outcome

To make the lobby more welcoming and visually interesting, an acoustical ceiling with wood-like finish was selected to meet the performance, design, and budget requirements. Sustainable acoustical insulation was also added to provide a more comfortable lobby, and to reduce both mechanical noise and noise propagation throughout the facilities. To address glare, electrochromic glazing was selected in the dining hall, retaining the original design intent while reducing glare and solar heat gain. This choice also provided a short payback for the investment. High durability corner protection for the walls was recommended to prevent abuse from gurneys and other equipment, allowing for a cleaner, home-like environment. Lastly, higher performing roofing systems were identified to improve the durability of the building,  increasing the long-term value and reducing future disruptions to the operations of the group’s investment. 

Most importantly, the dedicated Saint-Gobain Commercial Solutions team continues to work with Principle’s architectural firms to ensure the appropriate material selections meet overall performance, design, and budget requirements, all while remaining in line with Principle’s objectives. The Saint-Gobain team also works with Principles’ general contractors ensuring smooth and efficient submissions and coordination with their preferred subcontractors in each of the project locations. Principle’s architects and general contractors appreciate the support from Saint-Gobain Commercial Solutions because of the breadth of scope we were able to help with on each of Principle’s projects. 

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