flexiblefullpage -
billboard - default
interstitial1 - interstitial
catfish1 - bottom
Currently Reading

Illumination provides unique solution for university housing development

Sponsored Content Cladding and Facade Systems

Illumination provides unique solution for university housing development

Custom color cladding helps create dynamic student housing center


By Nichiha | March 29, 2016

Riverton Community Housing located in Minneapolis, MN.

The healthy construction market in Minneapolis presented Riverton Community Housing cooperative with an opportunity to build a new student housing structure near the University of Minnesota, in the Dinkytown section of campus. This area, known for its quirkiness and bustle, was the perfect location for a new student housing building. Close to shops, restaurants, the University and other student housing buildings, it gave Riverton Community Housing cooperative a broader creative license than you might find in other areas of the city.

An existing 24-unit three-story complex required modernization, upgrades for better efficiency and the addition of more units. Therefore, the decision was made to tear it down and build a new housing unit on its site. The result was a 66-unit six-story building with a dramatic yellow façade that stood out from a neighboring large concrete structure.

The tight site with busy car and pedestrian traffic was one of the larger challenges in the project. The solution was to move the parking below grade and combine it with the neighboring building. “We needed to provide parking to satisfy the neighborhood zoning but not many students have cars,” says David Haaland, AIA, vice president, Urbanworks Architecture, Minneapolis. “We had to make a conscious decision about how much parking would be available.” In addition, construction materials were housed elsewhere and brought to the site a few trucks at a time to allow ease of movement around the site.

The soil composition was another project challenge. “It was a clay-based site which we had to remove and replace with clean sand. It took about a week to accomplish, but we couldn’t let this slow down the project,” says Dan Ackmann, project manager, Frana Companies, Hopkins, Minn.

Because the building would be located in an area with many student housing facilities, the owners of this project wanted it to stand out—physically and competitively. The City of Minneapolis restricts the types of façade materials on buildings specifying only durable materials in its zoning districts. Nichiha was perfect because of its high quality, nice finish, and many color options, Haaland adds.

The team looked at several color options, including blues and greens, but chose to go with yellow. “We wanted bright colors. We ended up with three custom colors of yellow Nichiha Illumination Panels,” says Devon Lundy, AIA, project architect, Urbanworks Architecture. 

Yellow was the ideal color to contrast another student housing building and library nearby. By using Nichiha’s Color Xpression System, Urbanworks Architecture was able to make the exact variation of yellow in which they were looking.

A previous large, local project installation that contained 300 continuous feet of Nichiha panels helped the project team create the ideal install on the Riverton project. They learned how to accommodate Nichiha product’s nominal measurement details in the most efficient manner before approaching this project.

“We broke up the design with another material,” Lundy says. “There are no more than three panels in a row. Then a thin metal trim transitions to a section of a different fiber cement product, hiding any gaps.”

The team minimized waste by planning the design in advance, determining the location of the windows and using 3-, 6-, and 9-ft. panels. “We cut a panel in half and then used the rest of the panels on the other side,” Lundy adds. Andersen 100 Series windows with the same width as the panels were installed.

The end result is a new student housing building with a bright, active façade. “The three vibrant hues and the ability to customize the color made a huge difference. If it was one color, it would be too monochromatic and wouldn’t stand out,” Haaland says. “People love the color because it’s so bright and fun, yet still has a cohesive and modern design.”

 

Challenge

A new student housing structure was desired on a tight site that previously accommodated another structure. The building needed to provide a competitively appealing housing facility for University of Minnesota students.

 

Solution

A dramatic façade featuring three exact custom colors the architecture team wanted with the perfect modern layout of fiber cement cladding make this new student housing facility stand out from neighboring structures to offer a competitive living option for students. 

 

Results

Minneapolis building code requiring only durable façade materials lent itself to a great use of Illumination Panels in a 66-unit six-story building featuring a dramatic yellow façade that stands out in the Dinkytown area of the University of Minnesota.

 

Project Details

Architect: Urbanworks Architecture
Contractor: Frana Companies 
Location: Minneapolis
Product: Illumination Panels, Color Xpressions System

For more information, visit Nichiha.com.

Related Stories

Products and Materials | Aug 31, 2023

Top building products for August 2023

BD+C Editors break down 15 of the top building products this month, from frameless windscreens to smart fixture mount sensors.

Transportation & Parking Facilities | Aug 23, 2023

California parking garage features wind-activated moving mural

A massive, colorful, moving mural creatively conceals a newly opened parking garage for a global technology company in Mountain View, Calif.

Products and Materials | Jul 31, 2023

Top building products for July 2023

BD+C Editors break down 15 of the top building products this month, from cleanroom doors to window storm protection systems.

Sponsored | Fire and Life Safety | Jul 12, 2023

Fire safety considerations for cantilevered buildings [AIA course]

Bold cantilevered designs are prevalent today, as developers and architects strive to maximize space, views, and natural light in buildings. Cantilevered structures, however, present a host of challenges for building teams, according to José R. Rivera, PE, Associate Principal and Director of Plumbing and Fire Protection with Lilker.

Cladding and Facade Systems | Jun 5, 2023

27 important questions about façade leakage

Walter P Moore’s Darek Brandt discusses the key questions building owners and property managers should be asking to determine the health of their building's façade.  

Sponsored | Building Enclosure Systems | May 16, 2023

4 steps to a better building enclosure

Dividing the outside environment from the interior, the building enclosure is one of the most important parts of the structure. The enclosure not only defines the building’s aesthetic, but also protects occupants from the elements and facilitates a comfortable, controlled climate. With dozens of components comprising the exterior assemblies, from foundation to cladding to roof, figuring out which concerns to address first can be daunting.

Metals | Apr 19, 2023

Sherwin-Williams Coil Coatings releases new color forecast for architectural metal coatings

The Coil Coatings division of Sherwin-Williams has released its latest color forecast, FUSE, for architectural metal coatings. The report aims to inspire architects, product manufacturers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the coil and extrusion market over the next 3-5 years and beyond.  

Cladding and Facade Systems | Apr 5, 2023

Façade innovation: University of Stuttgart tests a ‘saturated building skin’ for lessening heat islands

HydroSKIN is a façade made with textiles that stores rainwater and uses it later to cool hot building exteriors. The façade innovation consists of an external, multilayered 3D textile that acts as a water collector and evaporator. 

Sponsored | Cladding and Facade Systems | Mar 15, 2023

Metal cladding trends and innovations

Metal cladding is on a growth trajectory globally. This is reflected in rising demand for rainscreen cladding and architectural metal coatings. This course covers the latest trends and innovations in the metal cladding market. 

Cladding and Facade Systems | Dec 20, 2022

Acoustic design considerations at the building envelope

Acentech's Ben Markham identifies the primary concerns with acoustic performance at the building envelope and offers proven solutions for mitigating acoustic issues.

boombox1 - default
boombox2 -
native1 -

More In Category

Codes and Standards

Updated document details methods of testing fenestration for exterior walls

The Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA) updated a document serving a recommended practice for determining test methodology for laboratory and field testing of exterior wall systems. The document pertains to products covered by an AAMA standard such as curtain walls, storefronts, window walls, and sloped glazing. AAMA 501-24, Methods of Test for Exterior Walls was last updated in 2015. 




halfpage1 -

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021