Pilkington products in serene blue and green have been used to enhance the graceful lines of a new children's hospital, designed to look like a sailboat at sea.

The $286m state-of-the-art Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan, includes a tower shaped like the prow of a ship, rising above the gently undulating lines of a podium building made from 746 individual ‘wave’ panels of aluminum plate.

Designed by GMB Architects-Engineers to meet the US Green Building Council's LEED® Rating System™, the 14-story building is nearly four times the size of its predecessor and will serve more than one million children throughout Michigan.

Over 100,000 square feet of Pilkington Eclipse Advantage™ Arctic Blue, with a Viracon coating, has been used for the tower, while the podium section uses Pilkington Activ™ Arctic Blue and Pilkington Activ™ Clear over Pilkington Eclipse Advantage™ Evergreen. The podium is a distinctly different and unique glazing design and system from the main tower. Its blue, green and silver glass and waves welcome those who drive by or visit the hospital.

The glazing contractor was Vos Glass of Grand Rapids and the fabricator was Thompson IG.