Inspired by the flat landscape of the Mississippi Delta region, the design of the GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi reflects its surroundings where Delta blues – the root form of most music – was born. The creation of the GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi pays homage to the music genre that flourished in the Cleveland, Mississippi area.
Visitors of the 28,000 square-foot museum are welcomed by an expansive building, adorned with an image of well-known musicians and a wraparound porch. The corrugated metal installed around the exterior, coated in Sherwin-Williams finishes, pops against the backdrop of greenery on the Delta State University campus.
Metal was the designated material for the museum from the initial planning stages. Metal manufacturer, Petersen Aluminum Corporation supplied four different types of metal profiles from their PAC-CLAD product line for the GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi project. The exposed-fastener corrugated metal for the exterior was chosen because it reflected the “Delta’s rustic culture”.
Ralph Jones Sheet Metal installed all of the metal panels for the GRAMMY Museum Mississippi, including more than 30,000 square feet of corrugated panels coated with Fluropon® Classic II in Weathered Zinc. Petersen Aluminum worked with Sherwin-Williams (formerly Valspar) to create the custom Fluropon® color, Olive, coated on aluminum perforated, ribbed panels. Photo: GRAMMY Museum Mississippi.
In order to choose the colors for the building, a design committee consisting of several board members, staff from the GRAMMY Museum® at L.A. LIVE, and design professionals was established. “Color selection began with a collaborative session during which the participants began to narrow the concepts,” said Emily Havens, Executive Director at the museum. “Color palettes were presented by the design professionals, and through an iterative process, the final colors were selected.” The chosen colors for the PAC-CLAD metal panels include Weathered Zinc, Bone White, and a custom olive color.
The external cladding of the GRAMMY Museum Mississippi utilizes 30,000 square footage of 24-gauge corrugated metal panels coated with Sherwin-Williams Coil Coatings Fluropon® Classic II 70% PVDF coating in Weathered Zinc, a metallic gray shade. This two-coat system delivers directional appearance with added dimension due to its mica-based pigmentation.
Architecture firms Eley | Barkley in Cleveland, MS and Dale Partners based in Jackson and Biloxi, MS jointly designed the GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi, with a focus on crafting a contemporary building that emulates the Mississippi Delta. “The blending of the two themes helps reinforce the fact that Mississippi has a deep musical heritage, but is still relevant in today’s music scene,” said Jason Agostinelli, AIA, partner at Dale Partners.
One of the early considerations was the concept of a large ‘front porch’ that would provide valuable space for public events. “This design feature, coupled with the soaring lobby, allows a great deal of flexibility for special events and provides a stunning appearance for first-time visitors,” said Havens.
The concept of a large front porch was considered early on in the creation of the museum. The roof overlay above the porch is finished with Fluropon® in Bone White on 24-gauge Tite-Loc Plus panels. Photo: GRAMMY Museum Mississippi.
Above the expansive porch is an open air canopy that uses 3,700 square-feet of 24-gauge Tite-Loc Plus panels with the Fluropon® Bone White coating. Soffit and interior applications employed 900 square-feet of 24-gauge steel flush panels, also in Bone White.
The remaining metal panels accent an upper portion of the building, surrounding a photo collage of award-winning artists. This section applied 2,700 square footage of .032” aluminum perforated ribbed panels coated with a two-coat Fluropon finish in the custom color olive.
Altogether, more than 37,000 square-feet of installed Petersen Aluminum metal panels exemplify the essence of the surrounding Delta region, condensed into one impressive structure. “We used quite a bit of different metals on the project, but it all blended together nicely,” said Ralph Jones from Sheet Metal, the architectural fabricator and installer.
Guests of the museum will find a massive interactive music table, more than two dozen permanent and traveling exhibits, interactive experiences and films, educational programs, and a 130-seat sound stage. “The GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi was built with the hope that we will cultivate and inspire the next generation of music innovators,” concluded Havens.
Mixing musical innovation with designs influenced by the Delta region, the museum generates an environment where people can engage and connect with the power of music.
PROJECT PARTNERS:
Owner: GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi
Architect: Dale Partners and Eley | Barkley
Installer: Ralph Jones Sheet Metal
Metal Wall Manufacturer: Petersen Aluminum
Manufacturer Representative: Richard Werne (PAC-CLAD Rep)
Coatings Supplier: Sherwin-Williams Coil Coatings
