IMPs, a Pre-Manufactured “Perfect Wall”

When it comes to metal building supplies, we know you have options, but when it comes to all-in-one solutions, Metl-Span’s insulated metal panels (IMPs) lead the pack for three simple reasons: performance, appearance, and ease of installation.

Performance: Probably the most important aspect of any building material is its performance; after all, the purpose of a building is to provide shelter from the elements. Metl-Span’s IMPs take it a step further by providing exceptional performance in exchange for low upkeep.

“The secret is that it works as a single-source envelope,” Arnold Corbin, technical sales manager at Metl-Span, said. Because IMPs can be used as the exterior and interior walls and roof without additional materials, and has insulation sandwiched between the two steel facings that provides water, air, vapor, and thermal control, the one-step system minimizes the chance for installation error. 

Utilizing a urethane core, these seamless IMPs can span up to 42 inches wide and 32 feet tall, and easily interlocks to create an impermeable barrier. This high-performance envelope qualifies many buildings for certification with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system so that buildings that use Metl-Span IMPs not only save money on heating and cooling costs, but they can potentially increase their value through LEED certification.

What’s more, Metl-Span provides warranties up to 20 years on its IMPs, ensuring no-stress performance sustainability throughout the life of the product.

Appearance: Because Metl-Span’s IMPs can be used as-is for interior and exterior walls and roofs, they are available in a wide array of colors, textures and finishes.

“[Metl-Span IMPs] have a lot of design flexibility,” said Corbin, “both as a finished product and as a barrier wall.” With dozens of colors, including metallic and pearlescent hues, and the ability to orient panels horizontally or vertically, builders don’t need to choose between performance and aesthetic, no matter the design.

“If you’re looking for something simple, we’ve got it covered,” Corbin continued. “If you want something that’s going to look really cool, we can do that also.”

Although there are a myriad of aesthetics available, Metl-Span's IMPs can also be used as a traditional system on which building materials can be installed. Whether the interior requires drywall or the entire exterior is going to be clad in eye-catching materials, IMPs can be installed as an envelope system.

Ease of Installation: Although performance and appearance are typically the focal points of material selection, Corbin says that the ease of installation—and what that means for the bottom line—has become an important aspect of the building product.

In 2018, the Bureau of Labor concluded that 158,000 construction-sector jobs were currently unfilled, a statistic that Corbin says they’re seeing as well.

“One of the things we’re seeing in the construction industry is that we have a shortage of skilled labor out there,” he said. “Long term, we’re expecting that number to decrease because people are not going into the trades. That means it’s harder to find high-skilled labor.”

Although Metl-Span’s IMPs have been used in high-complexity installations, the fact that they provide an all-in-one solution means most builds fall within the low to medium complexity range.

The reason is threefold:

1. There is less room for errors because the interior and exterior walls and installation go up as one
2. It takes less time to install
3. The lower complexity level allows for a larger labor pool to be able to install the product

Corbin continued, “There are other solutions out there that can do what [Metl-Span does], but then you have multiple trades [working on the project], you have more parts and pieces that make it more difficult, and if any of those steps are not properly executed or something is missed, it’s not going to perform well. We eliminate a lot of the risk by going with a simple design.”

While Metl-Span’s IMPs aren’t a risk-free solution, they combine performance, appearance, and ease to provide an all-in-one solution without complex odds and ends.

For more information about how IMPs can work for your project, contact your local Metl-Span sales representative.