The Metal Construction Industry is littered with all sorts of innovative, creative buildings and projects that utilize metal materials and accessories in a variety of ways. Because metal is extremely versatile, durable and eye-catching, architects, builders and contractors are using metal in interesting ways to not only improve the look of a building, but also increase its efficiency.
With that in mind, the goal of the 2009 Metal Construction News Awards was to find the best use of metal products in our three main categories: metal roofing, metal walls and metal building. In each of these market segments, we wanted to single out a project or building that highlights the best aspects of metal construction and exemplifies the high standards that metal construction can reach in today’s market and in the future.
In addition, we chose an overall winner that encompasses the best qualities of each category, but also adds that certain indefinable something that really makes it stand out among its metal building brethren.
This year, we received a record number of qualified nominees, as our judges had more than 50 top projects to analyze and assess. Judges of the 2009 MCN Awards included a cross-section of experts in the metal construction industry looking for effective and creative use of metal products; proper utilization of green products and practices; unique design; functionality of materials; and cohesiveness between all materials used, among other considerations.
Metal Buildings Winner: Alan Webb Mazda Dealership, Vancouver, Wash.
The new 13,700-square-foot (1,273-m2) Mazda dealership was constructed adjacent to a busy state highway on property with difficult soil conditions that required careful evaluation to determine the best course of action in order to build.
Several critical elements combine to grab attention and create curiosity from the street level. A Mazda vehicle is prominently on display on the glass corner of the building. The vehicle is elevated in the showroom via an above ground service lift and sits in front of a bright green wall that transitions from the outside to a soffit on the inside. A sweeping canopy wraps the building and provides a covered area for the display of test-ready vehicles.
Metal was utilized throughout the building starting with the building’s structural system to the exterior surfaces, finishes and canopies. A combination of metal panels and finishes were installed both vertically and horizontally on the exterior as well as interior walls. Metal accents are utilized throughout the interior of the building. A multilock standing-seam metal roof system was used.
A metal building structure was selected for its ability to clear span the showroom and service department. Exterior metal was used to meet the stringent dealership design standards.
Project Details:
Name: Alan Webb Mazda Dealership
Location: Vancouver, Wash.
Completion Date: April 2009
Cost: $2,126,372
Metal Products: Pre-Engineered Steel Buildings including 24-gauge Galvalume Roof Panels; 26-gauge 7.2 Wall Panels with Kynar paint; 26-gauge R-Wall Panels with Kynar paint
Manufacturer: Garco Building Systems,
Airway Heights, Wash., www.garcobuildings.com
Size: 13,700 square feet (1,273 m2)
Judge’s Comments: “It is true that architecture changes how one feels. The artful use of colored panels makes one excited about being there. It is an experience to be in that space as the geometry and use of metal serves to excite you. It is another creative application of metal that helps the building succeed.”
Project Team:
Architect: Architects Associative, Vancouver
General Contractor: RSV Construction Services, Vancouver
Metal Installers: RSV Construction Services; Pacific Steel Erectors Inc., Camas, Wash.
Building Owner: Webb Family Properties
Others: Moss and Associates, Vancouver; GeoDesign, Vancouver
Metal Roofing Winner: Kan Pai Restaurant, Richmond, Va.
“I selected an ATAS Scan Roof for the project because of its longevity and appearance-crisp lines, disciplined textures, polychrome flexibility,” said Donald L. Strange- Boston of Strange-Boston Associates. “In installation I found that the manufacturer’s accessories and fittings coordinated properly with the panel profile, providing for expeditious installation and a well thought-out system displaying both functional and aesthetic appeal.” The Scan Roof metal panel profile was used because of the easy installation and versatility of creating a multicolor pattern within the roof. Metal was chosen because of the longevity and appearance of the product.
Project Details:
Name: Kan Pai Restaurant
Location: Richmond, Va.
Completion Date: 2008
Metal Products: Scan Roof and Belvedere Wall Systems; 24-gauge steel in Hartford Green, Rawhide and Coppertone, with Kynar 500 and Hylar 5000 finishes
Manufacturer: ATAS International Inc., Allentown, Pa., www.atas.com
Amount Used: 14,189 square feet (1318 m2) for the Scan Roof; 672 square feet (62 m2) for the BWR360
Judge’s Comments: “This structure reflects thoughtful use of a durable and aesthetically pleasing material. The designers used the material masterfully to create an inviting, authentic presentation that enhances the overall appearance of the building.”
Project Team:
Architect: Strange-Boston Associates, Richmond
General Contractor/Metal Installer: Bon-Air Exteriors, Richmond
Distributor: ABC Supply, Richmond
Builder: North South Construction, Midlothian, Va.
Metal Walls Winner: Tempe Transportation Center, Tempe, Ariz.
The Tempe Transportation Center-a mixed use center of retail, city offices and leased office space-serves as a link for light rail, bus, bike and pedestrian activities. It features a total of 16,000 square feet (1,486 m2) of Alucobond in 0.16-inch
(4-mm) thickness, including7,700 square feet (715 m2) of Alucobond Platinum and 8,300 square feet (771 m2) of Alucobond in custom Spectra Green color. Alucobond Spectra Colors-a new color finishing system for Alucobond-allow architects to incorporate a unique, ever-changing color spectrum in the cladding of sophisticated building designs. Alucobond Spectra Colors change colors as different wavelengths of light are reflected back to the audience, depending upon the viewing angle. The custom Spectra Green was used to clad the center’s community room, which is the “figural and compositional focus of the project, floating above an urban terrace where citizens gather for work and pleasure,” according to the city of Tempe.
Elward Systems Corp. fabricated Alucobond Platinum into 570 panels for the main building and 160 panels for soffits; the 1,200-square-foot (111-m2) community room alone required fabrication of 420 panels in Spectra Green, with 150 types of angled sizes created through precise 3-D shop drawings. The Alucobond panels were installed by Elward Construction Co. with a route-and-return dry system on the main building, and a route-and return wet system on the community room.
The Tempe Transportation Center was designed in response to the construction of a new Metro light rail system. A narrow three-story, mixed-use building anchors the west side of a transit plaza that unites Metro light rail with buses, bicycles, the city of Tempe government plaza and the campus of Arizona State University,as described by the city of Tempe. The project incorporates a variety of cutting edge environmental strategies including the first climate appropriate green roof and first grey water system in the city of Tempe. The facility was designed to be 52 percent more energy efficient than similar buildings. Green strategies include grey water/storm water recycling, a living roof (native Sonoran desert plants), solar bus shelters and an under-floor air system. The climate responsive design and recycled content materials are unveiled through educational interactive “Green Touchscreen”in-wall teaching panels, and the first “Re-use, Recycle”signage program in the nation.
City Transportation offices share space with the first Bike Station in Arizona, connecting Tempe’s 165 miles (264 km) of bike paths with secure indoor storage, shower/locker facilities and a bike repair/maintenance area. Thirteen bus bays serve local and regional passengers; and shuttles connect downtown to neighborhoods and the Arizona State University campus.
“We tried to incorporate a lot of sustainable strategies in the Tempe Transportation Center as it serves as an interface of the city’s multimodal transportation of bus, bike and pedestrian traffic from downtown Tempe with Metro light rail,” said Tom Wilhite, principal civil engineer, Capital Improvements Construction Section, city of Tempe Public Works/Engineering, who served as construction project manager. “As we strive to become a sustainable community, we thought this would be the right facility for incorporating sustainable strategies. This facility would not have been possible without the support of our mayor and city council.”
Judge’s Comments: “The roofing design was unique and the Alucobond panels with the custom Spectra Green constant changing color spectrum created a dynamic statement for the Tempe Transportation Center.”
Project Details:
Name: Tempe Transportation Center
Location: Tempe, Ariz.
Completion Date: December 2008
Cost: Approximately $22 million
Metal Products: Alucobond Aluminum Composite Material in Platinum and Custom Spectra Green
Manufacturer: Alcan Composites USA, Mooresville, N.C., www.alucobondusa.com
Amount Used: 16,000 square feet (1,486 m2)
Alucobond not only met the project’s recycled content requirements and is recyclable itself, this material choice helped to minimize the number of materials and trades on the job site because it was able to be used to clad both the building’s walls and roof, according to John F. Kane, LEED AP, FAIA, principal, Architekton.
“Alucobond didn’t require maintenance offered finish longevity and wouldn’t have to be replaced,” said Kane. “This material offered recycled aluminum content and proven durability in our climate.”
The constantly changing color spectrum of the custom Spectra Green Alucobond panels enhanced the unique design of the community room as “the gem” of the Tempe Transportation Center, according to Kane.
“The Spectra Green panels helped to create an active iconic form in the plaza,” said Kane. “The community room was meant to be different sculpturally. The paint finish played in our sun. It worked well with the rest of the palette in the plaza.”
Project Team:
Architects: Otak, Lake Oswego, Ore.; Architekton, Tempe
General Contractor: Adolphson & Peterson Construction, Minneapolis
Metal Installer: Elward Construction Co., Tempe
Fabricator: Elward Systems Corp., Lakewood, Colo.
Building Owner: City of Tempe
Construction Project Manager: Thomas W. Wilhite, P.E.
Transportation Division Project Manager: Bonnie Richardson, AIA, LEED AP
Overall Best Project Winner: Salmon Bay Landing, Seattle
Salmon Bay Landing is a 34,500-square foot (3,205-m2) office building in Seattle, built on land previously occupied by the Marco Shipyard. The building was designed to “capture a maritime quality with its floating form and ship inspired ‘smoke stack’ penthouses.” In addition to being aesthetically pleasing, the design of the building is also sustainable. The building consists of many recyclable materials including UC-500 aluminum panels on the exterior walls and the VR Classic Omega panels that make up the “smoke stack” on the roof top.
The UC-500 metal panels on the exterior of the building offer visual organization of the building as well as a strong contrast to the glass facade. Metal panels suited the specific requirements by creating a highly durable building with the benefits of being cost effective and prolonging the life of the building with the recyclable content of the metal.
The design team had a minor setbackwhen they discovered the south side of the building was close to the property line. According to the building code, the wall had to be a relatively solid wall to meet the fire separation requirement and could not mimick the glass wall on the south side of the building. Some creative thinking had to be done to come up with a different design and material.
The new material of choice was metal, particularly aluminum panels. Aluminum was chosen because of the salt in the atmosphere from the North Pacific Shore. The salt would corrode steel, shortening the life cycle of the building. Aluminum was the metal of choice because of its durability and recyclable content.
Judge’s Comments: “This style will survive current and future trends with an almost timeless building design.”
Project Details:
Name: Salmon Bay Landing
Location: Seattle
Completion Date: November 2008
Metal Products: 9,800 square feet (910 m2) of UNA-CLAD UC-500 Flush Panels, 0.040-Aluminum, Charcoal Gray Kynar 500/Hylar 5000; 1,450 square feet (134 m2) UNA-CLAD VR-Classic Omega Panels, 0.040-Aluminum, Charcoal Gray Kynar 500/Hylar 5000
Project Team:
Architect: Stuart Silk Architects LLC, Seattle
General Contractor: Schuchart Corp., Seattle
Metal Installer: Northshore Sheet Metal Inc., Everett, Wash.
Building Owner: Salmon Bay Landing LLC, Seattle
Manufacturer: Firestone Metal Products LLC, Anoka, Minn., www.unaclad.com
Amount Used: 11,250 square feet (1,045 m2)
