Healthcare
Manko’s portfolio of high-performance glazing and fabrication solutions addresses the complex technical and clinical requirements of healthcare design. By prioritizing daylight autonomy alongside superior acoustic attenuation and integrated privacy, our systems assist in creating restorative environments that support both patient recovery and staff focus. Manko’s solutions can provide excellent condensation mitigation, surface cleanability, and patient comfort.
Since Roger Ulrich’s groundbreaking study in 1984 on views through a window and its influence on surgery recovery, access to daylighting and views outside has proven invaluable in healthcare design. Natural light has been shown to reduce stress and pain perception, lower depression, and help regulate circadian rhythms. Not only is daylighting beneficial to patient care and comfort, but natural light also improves staff performance, alertness, and mood. Access to an abundance of natural light can also reduce reliance on artificial lighting for better energy efficiency.
Effective mitigation of condensation in healthcare design is vital in preventing mold and bacteria growth to protect patient health and maintain better air quality. With optimal relative humidity trending higher in the 30% to 60% range to limit transmission of certain viruses, limiting risks of higher humidity environments are paramount.
Effective noise reduction can help in reducing stress and improving patient outcomes, fostering better environments for sleep and recovery. Controlling excess noise not only limits distracting and disruptive noise but also helps in maintaining privacy and confidentiality. Quieter environments lower stress and mental fatigue, leading to better staff productivity and focus.
Prioritizing privacy in healthcare spaces foster a sense of comfort and confidentiality which is important for places that often coincide with vulnerability and the need for intimate spaces. Much like the need to control acoustics for patient privacy and confidentiality, the ability to control visual privacy is important for creating a sense of comfort and security.
A comfortable environment can help accelerate patient recovery and reduce stress levels. Reducing temperature variability, drafts, and cold surfaces can create a more calming and comfortable environment. An energy efficient building envelope can also reduce stress on mechanical systems and the associated costs.
High-Performance Curtain Walls
200x & 250x | Curtain wall systems allow for larger spans of daylighting and views outside without having to sacrifice thermal comfort. When used with job appropriate glazing options and shading systems offered, daylighting and thermal comfort can be achieved as desired.
High-Performance Projected Windows
i & xpt series | Projected window systems are ideal for punched openings to allow for natural air ventilation while providing an abundance of daylighting and views outside without having to sacrifice thermal comfort. As a “dry” glazed system, the potential for condensation build-up is drastically lowered compared to a conventional “wet” glazed system.
Sunshades
Outrigger & VersaShade | Sunshades provide shade to the vision glass areas of the building envelope, effectively reducing cooling costs while still allowing for natural sunlight to fill the interior of the building, ultimately resulting in increased occupant comfort.
Painted Finishes
Manko offers AAMA 2605 powder coat painted products. This type of paint offers a finish with superior durability, environmentally responsible considerations, and superior chemical resistance. AAMA 2605 finishes provide superior resistance to chemicals and abrasion, preventing the finish from pitting or chalking where pathogens could hide.
Digital Designs
With digitally printed glass, biophilic graphics and patterns can be utilized to create calming spaces, dots and gradients can offer glare reduction or privacy, and the ability to create unique designs and color combinations allow for creative wayfinding to help alleviate the stresses of navigating unfamiliar facilities for guests and improve staff efficiency.
LCG® Switchable Glass
Manko’s LCG® Switchable Glass transforms healthcare environments by providing on-demand privacy glass for exams. This dynamic glass can replace the need for traditional hospital curtains, ensuring a more hygienic and calming recovery environment.
Insulated Glass
Essential for healthcare projects, using the right combination of high performance low-e glass, warm edge spacers, and inert gas, Manko’s IGUs can help improve thermal comfort, noise reduction, and natural lighting to better assist in patient recovery.
Diamon-Fusion®
Essential for maintaining the sterile, restorative environments vital for patient recovery, the Diamon‑Fusion® transparent hydrophobic glass coating bolsters infection control, by repelling water, oils, and other organic contaminants from the glass surface
Laminated Glass
Laminated glass enhances restorative comfort by creating a quiet place for healing. High‑performance acoustic interlayers can dampen the stress of hospital sounds and external sirens, while still allowing natural daylight to enter the space.
Cooks Children's Medical Center | Fort Worth, Texas
3527i Series Windows
2450FS Series Storefront
150 Series Doors
Grey over Cardinal 366
UCHealth Interquest Medical Center | Colorado Springs, Colorado
2450 Series Storefront
135 Series Doors
250 Series Curtain Wall
Guardian Grey SN68
Stormont Vail Health | Manhattan, Kansas
2450FS Series Storefront
150H Series Doors
250xpt Series Curtain Wall
VersaShade Sunshades
Guardian Clear SNX 51/23
AdventHealth Schrader Family Cancer Center | Castle Rock, Colorado
2450 Series Storefront
135 Series Doors
250 Series Curtain Wall
Aurora Mental Health & Recovery | Aurora, Colorado
2450 Series Storefront
450-3 Series Storefront
150 Series Doors
4032xpt Series Windows
2100 Series Patio Sliders
Guardian Clear SNR 50 & SNX 62/27
Bryan Health April Sampson Cancer Center | Lincoln, Nebraska
9/16” Tempered Lami with Digital Designs
Fire-Rated Laminated Glass
While commercial clear float glass is often described as colorless, it naturally exhibits a slight green or blue-green tint. For applications requiring maximum color neutrality, low-iron glass should be considered. Many laminated interlayers block ultraviolet light and may also slightly reduce visible light transmission, which can result in a subtle yellow appearance—particularly in thicker laminates or multi-ply constructions. When low-emissivity (low-e) or reflective coatings are incorporated into laminated glass, placing the coating in contact with the interlayer can alter its refractive index, potentially causing a perceived color shift. As a result, a coating may appear differently in a laminated assembly than in an insulated glass unit.
Optical distortion—both reflected and transmitted—may result from heat treatment, glass thickness variability, framing system stresses, and changes in exterior wind or interior building pressures. Laminated glass assemblies often incorporate multiple plies of heat-treated glass to meet performance requirements. Inherent characteristics of heat-treated glass include bow, roll wave, and picture-frame distortion. While fabricators take steps to minimize these effects, they cannot be eliminated. Distortion is further accentuated when reflective coatings or tinted substrates are used. Manko strongly recommends evaluating a full-size mock-up under actual project conditions.
Under certain lighting or viewing conditions, laminated glass may exhibit iridescent patterns or dark shadowing, commonly referred to as strain patterns or anisotropy. These patterns are caused by stresses introduced during the heat-treatment process and are inherent to heat-treated glass. While typically not visible, strain patterns may become more pronounced at extreme viewing angles or under polarized light. Thicker laminated assemblies may increase the visibility of these patterns. This phenomenon is not indicative of discoloration or material inconsistency.
Due to the technical complexity of laminated glazing systems, early collaboration between design professionals, fabricators, and suppliers is essential. Understanding the construction and inherent characteristics of laminated glass is critical to achieving optimal performance in safety, security, hazard resistance, and acoustic applications. As laminate thickness and ply count increases, the potential for optical distortion also increases. Full-size mock-ups are strongly recommended to evaluate appearance under project-specific lighting, environmental, and viewing conditions, particularly in applications involving visual movement behind the glass.
