Oakland Community College, Southfield, Mich.
The largest of Michigan’s 28 community colleges, a major addition at Oakland Community College’s Southfield Campus provided much-needed classroom and administrative space.
The 70,000-square-foot building was clad with approximately 28,000 square feet of Metl-Span CF30 Architectural Flat panels in a design that showcases an interesting and attractive combination of colors and geometries. Installed horizontally, the 2-inch panels were finished in Regal White and Cool Metallic Silver.
“The addition was to an existing building clad with metal and glass,” according to Tom Kowalski, project manager with TMP Architecture, the project architect. “Naturally, we wanted to maintain a similar palette of materials. The Metl-Span panels really offer a contemporary, high-tech look. We also felt the Metl-Span panels provided an economical solution because of the insulation on the exterior skin. The college is very pleased with the outcome.”
The panels range in lengths from 8 to 20 feet and required some challenging custom fabrication, according to Tom Viers, project manager with installer Ross & Barr Inc. “The 45-degree angle custom corner panels were probably the sharpest we’ve ever done with an insulated panel,” Viers says. “The horizontal installation and complicated geometries of the design required extremely detailed field measurements to ensure the panels would align properly with the vertical elements.”
