Clear planting
The Institute of Agriculture’s new four-story plant biotechnology center at the University of Tennessee houses research laboratories, instructional facilities, and offices for faculty, staff, and graduate students. The $22 million, 130,000-sf building used Formawall Dimension Series panels for their exterior curtain wall and parts of the building’s interior. Installed horizontally, the panels were customized with an 18-inch width and 2-inch reveal in silversmith-color coating. Project architects were Bullock, Smith & Partners and Barber & McMurry, both of Knoxville.
Centria.
Reader Service No. 202
Shootin’ hoops
The Toyota Center, Houston’s new multipurpose arena, designed by HOK Sport, Kansas City, and Morris Architects, Houston, specified a customized version of the CW-250 system to create the multispan, concave curtain wall at the arena’s main entrance, which required a custom-designed and tapered vertical mullion. The Custom Series 375 medium entrance was also specified for the Toyota Center.
Vistawall.
Reader Service No. 204
Snap shot
Fuiji Photo Film USA utilized flush panel soffits and a custom fascia system for its new facility in Hanover Park, Ill. Architects Formations Architects & Planners, Itasca, Ill., and Sparks Architects Inc., Elmhurst, Ill., along with subcontractor Sullivan Roofing, Mount Prospect, Ill., specified 6,400 sf of the .063 clear anodized aluminum for the fascia system and 5,000 sf of .032 clear anodized aluminum for the building’s soffits. “The reveals were extremely tight,” said Tom Sullivan of Sullivan Roofing. “The radius soffits on the rotunda were a particular challenge, especially when you consider we were installing in the dead of the winter with a minus-30 degree wind chill. The two-piece fascia system was totally custom fabricated in our shop. We achieved an outstanding look that everyone is quite proud of.”
Petersen Aluminum.
Reader Service No. 205
Precast dealership
The West Side Honda dealership in Knoxville, Tenn., needed to fit vehicle inventory, employee parking, a parts storage room, and service and showroom areas on a site that, at first glance, was too small. Tindall Corporation came on the project and proposed a precast concrete structure that would include a parking structure. The result was 334 pieces of precast concrete, including columns, beams, spandrels, wall panels, and double tees. The 154,524-sf project was designed by architect Cope Associates; GC services were provided by Rouse Construction, both of Knoxville.
Tindall.
Reader Service No. 206
Luminescent lobby
San Francisco’s newest convention center, Moscone West, reaches 125 feet into the sky and is just three stories tall. The $186 million dollar expansion used a unitized curtain wall system made with Viracon glass and aluminum frames up to 10 feet wide. The system showcases custom, acute-angle and radius-panel corners fabricated to be an integral part of the system. The 800,000 sf of space was designed by three San Francisco-based architects &m> Gensler, Michael Willis, and Kwan Heni. Moscone West features space for exhibitions, meetings, and ballroom functions over a full basement.
Wausau Window and Wall Systems.
Reader Service No. 207
Community walls
The exterior walls of Baltimore’s American Visionary Art Museum were designed by professional artists and local high school students who joined together to create a mosaic of mirrors, seashells, marbles, broken china, old bottles, and miniature figures of U.S. presidents. The mosaic was created atop 300 Durock panels that were initially fastened to steel studs along the museum’s three-story exterior, while the outline of the mosaic was drawn onto them with chalk. The panels were then numbered, removed, and brought into AVAM’s studio. After the artists and students designed the mosaic, the panels were returned to the building’s exterior. The AVAM chose Durock cement board for its compressive strength, flexural bond strength, nail pull resistance, and freeze/thaw resistance. Museum officials say these factors help ensure the finished appearance of the mosaic.
USG.
Reader Service No. 208
Sure cure
The Schott Pharmaceutical Packaging Corporation used more than 40,000 sf of CF-36A and CF-42 Straited polyurethane foam insulated panels installed in both horizontal and vertical orientations on its 173,000-sf manufacturing and office facility in Lebanon, Pa. The three-inch panels were finished in regal gray over polar white. “We initially considered several different materials, particularly masonry, but it just wasn’t affordable for the entire building,” said project manager Sheila Snyder, of the project’s general contractor, High Construction. “The Straited vertical panels offered great cost economies and allowed us to meet Schott’s budget.”
Metl Span.
Reader Service No. 209
Natural designing
Constructed from two sheets of corrosion-resistant zinc, brushed aluminum, copper, or stainless steel permanently bound to a thermoplastic core, Reynobond Natural Metals Composite Materials are lightweight and ideal for use with curtain wall profiles and fasteners provided by most manufacturers. Panels can be roll-formed, shaped, bent, routed, punched, or cut to achieve small radii or reverse curves, angles, and other shapes to create dramatic and distinctive designs not possible with heavy plate or sheet material.
Alcoa Cladding Systems.
Reader Service No. 210
Wide load
Wide copper sheets available in 48-inch slips for designs that require fewer seams to cover large surface areas, including wall cladding, panels, flashing, shingles, facias, and roofing. The Wide Copper Sheet allows the material to be slit to any width, providing flexibility to meet various applications. Copper will last the lifetime of the building and is recyclable, says the maker.
Outokumpu American Brass, Inc.
Reader Service No. 211
Computer-aided panels
Architectural panels come ready to install into standard metal furring, for a watertight finish with clean, classic joints. Since the system is dry joint, no sealant is necessary for installation. The panels are available in a variety of colors and texture combinations. Corners can be trimmed with adhesive-welded panels, standard metal moldings, or special composite corner moldings. The panels also come with their own design program, CareaSmart, an add-on to AutoCAD.
Carea.
Reader Service No. 212
Protection from elements
Surface protection product for interior and exterior surfaces is designed to help keep surfaces safe during construction. Cordek is a fluted polypropylene sheet that is available in thicknesses beginning at 1/8 inch and in a variety of colors. The standard sheet size is 8x4 inches, weighs two pounds, six ounces, and is translucent. Cordek can be cut or creased to fit any surface and can be attached using standard construction tapes. Lightweight, durable, waterproof, resistant to most chemicals and UV rays, and does not stain, says the maker.
Cordek Inc.
Reader Service No. 213
Strong flight
Continental Airlines’ 23-gate Terminal E at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport features 189,000-sf of Alucobond material (4mm) in airline white, continental gray, and champagne metallic. The material consists of two sheets of .02-inches of aluminum bonded to a thermoplastic core. The 600,000-sf terminal is a U-shaped double pier expansion housed in a three-story steel frame structure that is clad in the panels and energy-efficient glazing, according to architect Greg Krebs of Corgan Associates, Inc., Dallas.
Alcan Composites.
Reader Service No. 203
