Long and narrow vertical mesh panels from Cambridge Architectural add a sophisticated, clean design and a durable exterior cladding to the newly expanded municipal parking garage at the Minnesota BioBusiness Center in downtown Rochester, Minn.
Located in the heart of the city, among some of the country’s most prominent research and development institutions like Mayo Clinic and IBM Rochester, the eight-story Minnesota BioBusiness Center was developed by Rochester’s Economic Development Authority to provide a prime operating location for biotechnology and medical device companies. The connected parking garage serves the institutions and the pubic, and helps add to the aesthetic allure of the notable restaurants, shops and businesses that surround it.
A Cambridge Parkade architectural mesh system veils the east- and west-facing façades of the garage, sleekly dressing up the concrete structure. On the east-facing side, the mesh also complements the glass exterior of the pedestrian walkway system connecting two of the Minnesota BioBusiness Center’s main buildings, blending in perfectly with their architectural style. At night, Cambridge’s mesh elegantly diffuses the light emitted from inside the parking garage, creating a glow that softens the structure’s look.
“The new parkade is located right on Rochester’s ‘main street,’ among pedestrian-related businesses and other attractions,” says Terry Spaeth, senior administrative analyst for the City of Rochester, which owns the facility. “Cambridge’s material helped to create the perfect aesthetic for such a highly-visible building, and it’s been a great addition to the city.”
Like all new buildings, construction and operation of the project needed to be cost-effective and efficient. Cambridge’s architectural mesh was chosen because it managed to adequately cover the structure’s exterior without restricting airflow-an important consideration for parking garages. Additionally, the metal mesh can withstand extreme temperatures and harsh Minnesota winters.
To address all the visual and functional needs of the exterior cladding, Cambridge developed an ideal system that was specifically engineered to fit the structure’s openings, making installation simple.
Completed in November 2009, the Parkade system was fabricated with mesh in Cambridge’s Mid-Balance pattern and was attached using Cambridge’s Scroll tension attachment hardware.
Owner: City of Rochester
General contractor: Adolfson & Peterson Construction, Minneapolis
Architect: HGA, Rochester
Metal mesh: Cambridge Architectural, Cambridge, Md., www.cambridgearchitectural.com, Circle #XX
