Tiny house highlights ALPOLIC's versatility

For the 2018 AIA Convention and Trade Show, Building, Design + Construction magazine debuted its Design Showcase exhibit—a one-of-a kind tiny house, representing the “Workplace of the Future.” This unique structure, designed and constructed by Tiny House Northeast saw more than 1000 visitors during the two-day trade show, which was held in New York in June.

As the exterior sponsor, ALPOLIC turned to Metal Design Systems (MDS) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to come up with a way to fabricate its Timber Series metal composite material —finished in Walnut— for this unique venture.  Unlike most ALPOLIC projects,  the tiny house required an install capable of staying in place while the structure it was applied to was actually rolling down a highway.

“We had to really think outside the box on how the fabrication and installation would need to be because, by necessity, this was a very different application for MCM,” said MDS Project Manager Lee Velky.

To achieve the best results, Velky and the MDSI team fabricated nearly 1,000 square feet of ALPOLIC’s 3mm metal composite material into 10” x 12’ strips, and then hand rolled the bottom edge of each piece.  They did a test run on a mock up inside the facility to ensure the product not only looked great, but installed as easily as they’d hoped.  It did.

On site at the tiny house build, the Walnut MCM was layered, much like residential vinyl, with a one inch overlap, helping to create a water-resistant siding.   And just like vinyl, the ALPOLIC material didn’t require special tools or equipment to install. Workers were able to cut, shape and trim the product to fit the home’s dimensions on site with regular carpentry tools.

“We were so pleased with the end result.  It’s always exciting to see our product used in an innovative, creative way,” said David Kearney, sales and marketing director for ALPOLIC.  “And, this obviously provides new design options for customers, both residential and commercial.”