As the first new elementary school constructed in Columbia in nine years, the school is located in a developing residential area. The school needed to match the future community, yet stand on its own as a building. The design architect, DLR Group, and architect of record, Simon Oswald Architecture, created an innovative, 69,000-square-foot facility organized around a gently sweeping arc with four separate wings. Three wings consist of shared learning “pods” and the fourth wing includes administration, cafeteria and a gymnasium.
Citadel Architectural Products Inc. supplied approximately 21,000 square feet of SinoCore panels finished in Desert Sand and 6,000 square feet of ProCore panels finished in Antique Copper, which were utilized as key design elements.
In addition to metal panels, the school’s design included traditional masonry and cultured stone. “Since the new school was in this developing residential area, we wanted a design that would have some scale to it. The design also needed to address the local requirement of having a stone façade component,” according to Ken Graham, project designer with DLR Group. “While the school district liked the traditional red brick schoolhouse metaphor, we wanted to introduce a third material that was perhaps a bit more modern. That’s where the Citadel panels came into play.”
Both the SinoCore and ProCore systems are field-assembled and use flat panels with perimeter trim moldings. “We liked the look of the raised batten in this case,” Graham says. “We created a pattern for the system that was a bit more classic in nature- almost like a running bond rendered in a new material.”
“We essentially used a 4- by 8-foot module for a majority of the panels,” Graham adds. “There was very little cutting and waste. It’s a very costeffective design.”
Design architect: DLR Group, Overland Park, Kan.
Architect of record: Simon Oswald Architecture, Columbia
Installer: Hulett Heating and Air Conditioning, Columbia
Sales representative: Manchester Hackett & Associates, St. Louis
Metal wall panels: Citadel Architectural Products Inc., Indianapolis, www.citadelap.com
