Completed in March 2012, the facility features a new sanctuary designed to withstand South Florida’s tropical storms. The one-story, 10,500-square-foot addition features 5,366 square feet of Alcoa Architectural Products’ Reynobond with KEVLAR with a 4-mm FR core with a Mahogany Brown Wood Grain Design Line finish, and 5,634 square feet of Reynobond Aluminum Composite Material (ACM) with a 4-mm FR core, coil coated in Bright Silver Metallic and Pueblo Tan Colorweld 500 finishes on the building’s façade and column covers. A new entry and lobby join the new sanctuary to the existing building.
The architecture of the new sanctuary has a contemporary flare with a traditional nod. Sharp angles and layered materials on the façade and a soaring 41-foot-high peaked roof distinguish the church from its neighbors. The church’s new addition had to meet the rigid requirements of the Miami-Dade County Building Code, and do so on a limited budget.
“We originally specified ceramic tile for the sanctuary and entry façade,” says Jerry Clawson of Jerry Clawson Architects, one of the project’s architects, “and designed the structure with a preengineered steel frame and corrugated metal skin. Allcrete, our general contractor, suggested that we look into Reynobond, and we’re very glad they did. We thought it would be dynamite on the church, and were not disappointed. It looks great and provides the necessary protection for the building envelope. Although we were already pretty far into the construction phase of the project when we decided to use the Reynobond materials, they helped reduce additional construction costs. In the future, it will also help to minimize maintenance costs.”
The architects matched the color of the old brick to Reynobond’s Pueblo Tan Colorweld 500 paint coating, and then added a custom pattern that mimics the pattern of the brick with a Classic Bronze Colorweld 500 paint to tie the two structures together. To further define the entryway and accentuate the lines of the sanctuary, they used Reynobond with KEVLAR panels finished in a rich, Mahogany Brown Wood Grain Design Line painted coating.
“Like the Iglesia Bautista Bethel, the majority of our projects are located in South Florida and must meet the rigorous criteria set by the Miami-Dade County Building Code,” notes Robert Caldevilla of metal installer, East Coast Metal Group. “Reynobond with KEVLAR has made it much easier for us to meet those requirements, and do so in a cost-effective manner. It does not require any heavy backing material, and can be installed in the same installation system as traditional Reynobond materials, so there’s a seamless transition between the materials.”
East Coast Metal Group Inc. installed the panels in their 790 Wet Seal System with wide striping joints. A 3/4-inch gap was filled with sealant in a matching Classic Bronze color.
General contractor: Allcrete Construction, Miami
Architects: Jerry Clawson Architects, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Fla., and Ignacio Gonzalez, Miami
Interior designer: Ignacio Gonzalez, Miami
Installer: East Coast Metal Group Inc., Miami
Metal wall panels: Alcoa Architectural Products, Eastman, Ga., www.alcoaarchitecturalproducts.com,
