Zinc Steals the Show
Looking for "a natural, yet refined" exterior for the new Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in Appleton, Wis., architect Mike Nelson of Zeidler Partnership, Toronto, specified titanium zinc panels for the $45 million, 2,550-seat facility. More than 25,000 sf of panels cover the roof and exterior façade, as well as interior columns and accent walls.
Rheinzink America Inc.
Reader Service No. 204
Re-Creating the Feel of a True Lawn
When put to the task of creating a vegetated roof for the new $31 million School of the Environment at the University of South Carolina, architect Randy Huth took numerous measures to design the roof so that would appear to be a lawn, with no hint of its functionality as a roof. "Usually, a green roof is framed with pavers, and you can see the roof drains under it," says Huth. "We found a way to tie the flashing behind the brick veneer on the parapet, so the grass goes all the way up to the brick." The team also buried the scupper drains, used balastrades around the wall, and installed trellises. "It doesn't feel like the edge of a roof at all," says Huth.
Garland Company.
Reader Service No. 221
Round and Round
Three all-glass, fully welded manual revolving doors mark the entrance of the 111 South Wacker Drive building in downtown Chicago. Made of low-iron, non-reflective glass for clarity, the doors complement the building's dramatic glass façade while providing reliable door control. The doors are recessed into the building interior, and all of the glass is recessed into the floor for a seamless base.
Crane Revolving Door Co.
Reader Service No. 205
White Atop the Big Blue Box
Mid-South Roof Systems of Atlanta faced an unusual challenge when applying a 240,000-sf white PVC roofing system to the new IKEA store in midtown Atlanta. The store's roof deck consists of 20×50-foot concrete panels that, when installed, create peaks and valleys, some of which are more than 7,000 feet long. Mid-South needed to create a level surface on which to install the JM UltraGard SR60 white PVC membrane. Project manager Van Edwards specified JM ISO 30 insulation to fill the valleys, creating what he called a "relatively even" surface.
Johns Manville.
Reader Service No. 222
McDonald's Goes Green on Top
The vegetated roof system that tops the first two stories of McDonald's flagship restaurant in downtown Chicago is protected with a 60-mil thermoplastic waterproofing membrane. The Sarnafil Green Roof System can be loose-laid and ballasted in either pavers or well-rounded gravel.
Sarnafil.
Reader Service No. 207
Topped with Class
More than 20,000 sf of Pac-Clad 24-gauge steel roof panels, finished in Hemlock Green, top the new 400-room Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington, D.C. Local architect Brennan Beer Gorman Monk wanted to create a signature roofline to accent the five-star hotel's beige masonry façade details, which include towers, columns, cornices, and ornate windows. The panels were produced with a slight radius and shipped ready for installation at the site.
Petersen Aluminum.
Reader Service No. 221
Contractor Battles Wind to Repair The Army's Barrel Roof
After 60 years of operation, the U.S. Army's DC Armory Drill Hall in Washington, D.C., was in dire need of a roof retrofit. But the building's barrel roof, combined with steady 35-mph winds, made the project difficult and dangerous for local roofing contractor Platinum One Contracting. The firm specified GenFlex peel-and-stick TPO roofing membrane because of its ease of installation (no installation equipment was required) and reflective qualities. "The membrane was so simple and easy to apply," says Vernon J. Smith, SVP with Platinum One, who estimated the product cut two months off the schedule.
GenFlex.
Reader Service No. 223
