Photo: David Joseph
For a design-build retrofit project, Vocon Partners LLC used a variety of metal applications to connect and transform two existing buildings into a single, 23,500-square-foot, modern headquarters facility for Process Technology, a manufacturer of heaters, coils, exchangers and controls.
The exterior is clad with metal composite material (MCM) panels and perforated aluminum panels. The metal wall panels unify the two buildings and give it a modern appearance. Inside, moveable metal mesh partitions organize some office spaces.
Jodi van der Wiel, design director at Vocon, says, “Our project opportunity was to salvage and reuse a highly visible community eyesore, uniting the disparate utilitarian buildings into a headquarters encompassing the innovative nature of Process Technology. Metal allowed for us to veil the existing structures and unite the buildings into one, cohesive expression. The existing building appeared as multiple, additive, disparate parts, each with its own identity with no cohesive relationship amongst the forms. The scrim over the windows ties the two front structures together, generating a bold, cohesive form.” Vocon designed metal mesh inserts for windows to accomplish several project goals including lightening the feel of the building and aligning windows into an organized pattern.
“The existing prominent mass had an impression of feeling top heavy,” van der Wiel says. “Mesh inserts over the windows break down the translucency of the lower level and the top is lightened, connecting the two levels and unifying the front volume to become more than top and bottom. For cost savings, existing punched openings were kept in place, but formed an illogical pattern with no sense of alignment or relationship. With scrim inserts, large opening sizes were broken up, generating balance. Also, larger window openings allow more translucency and visibility into the offices. Mesh inserts provide a nice visual break and offer a sense of privacy and security.”
To complete the project, DJS Maintenance and Construction Co. Inc. installed 6,400 square feet of Mitsubishi Chemical Composites America Inc.’s ALPOLIC MCM with a fire-resistant (FR) core in Bone White.
DJS also installed 1,100 square feet of ATAS International Inc.’s Metafor corrugated metal wall panels, both solid and perforated, with an anodized aluminum finish.
