Metal means business

Tacker Bros. LLC, a firm that provides design, general contracting and construction management services for commercial, industrial, and professional projects, lead the way for Phase 1 of construction of Tudor Way Business Park in Magnolia, Texas. Tacker Bros., which specializes in turnkey solutions—from design and budgeting through construction—determined that metal would be the ideal material selection, in order to achieve a modern design with varying textures that was within a reasonable budget.

Problem

This main building of this project would serve as the home office for Tacker Bros. as well as provide space for other tenants. Ultimately, Tacker Bros.’ master plan involves six buildings total, including the two constructed in Phase 1. According to Trent Tacker, owner of Tacker Bros., “Our biggest challenge was trying to use varying colors and textures of panels without the design becoming too cluttered or seeming fragmented. This facility is my first opportunity to design my own development and is the location of our construction office. We wanted a design that would convey the type of product we deliver to the marketplace while improving the perception of the aesthetic value of pre-engineered structures.”

Additionally, the desired use of sustainable materials and budgetary concerns were going to be determining factors in how the buildings were constructed.

Solution

Tacker Bros. selected new metal buildings with architectural metal panel exteriors to complement the development’s attractive green space and landscaping.

Specifically, to accomplish their goals of a modern, uncluttered aesthetic and maximum cost efficiencies, Tacker Bros. decided upon the use of different shades of gray and silver along with a variety of MBCI panels, including PBD, 7.2 Panel and FW-120.

First, the PBD panel is an exposed fastened panel system that can be used for roof and wall applications. The ribs in the PBD panel are symmetrical from top to bottom, which makes this panel ideal as a roof liner. For this project, the appearance was ideal because of the uniformity and the close spacing of the ribs.

Tacker selected the 7.2 Panel, a symmetrical ribbed wall panel and ideal design choice for a commercial or industrial exposed fastener panel. The attractive horizontal 7.2 Panel provides versatility and functionality for roofs and walls, and offers excellent spanning and cantilever capabilities.

Finally, the FW-120 panel profile, which is a concealed fastening wall system, is commonly used for architectural, commercial and industrial markets. The heavy gauge offering provides for large spanning capabilities, particularly in composite wall applications. FW-120 is available in three profiles, a flat profile, a profile with one bead and a profile with two beads.

The FW-120 panel has been tested by a certified independent laboratory in accordance with ASTM test procedures for Air Infiltration and Water Penetration at the sidelap. Test results show no air leakage at 1.57PSF and no water penetration at 6.24PSF differential pressure.

Results

Tacker Bros. selected metal for this project based on the material’s versatility, unmatched aesthetic, and for its longevity. In particular, MBCI offers a 40-year finish warranty and the products chosen will be maintenance-free for many years to come.

Tacker concludes, “We achieved our goals. We are particularly proud of the way our building uses modern, sustainable materials that are aesthetically desirable and have a low life cycle maintenance cost.”