DesignCraft, Madison, Wis.
Retrofit Team
Architect: Barnett Architecture LLC, Madison
Metal Panel Installer: Metal Design Corp., Madison
Materials
The owners wanted to rejuvenate the appearance of their office, which featured aged vinyl siding. The design team specified the Wave Panel, a concealed fastener metal wall panel, that would navigate the curvature of the building. The color chosen is Buckskin, an ENERGY STARcompliant PVDF coating. Approximately 2,800 square feet of Wave Panel was installed vertically to accommodate the curved façade. Wood was installed horizontally and vertical colors are a transition between the wood and metal. Wave Panel also was installed on the third-floor penthouse.
“The general contractor had installed solid plywood with rigid insulation over it on the entire exterior of the building,” says Kent Woller, general manager at Metal Design. “We installed 6-inch-wide, 20-gauge galvanized strapping horizontally, 24 inches on-center, fastening through the insulation and into the plywood. The panels are 24-gauge metal, 16-inches-wide with a screw strip incorporated in the panel so we did not need to use clips. The panels were mounted to the strapping.”
Woller says the curving of the building was “soft enough” that when coupled with the vertical orientation of the panels, the crew was able to simply follow the contour of the building with minimal effort. “The curves of the building really didn’t add significant labor with the exception of fabrication and installation of the trims at the base and top of the curved areas because these areas required shorter segmented pieces,” he says.
Metal Panel Manufacturer: McElroy Metal
The Retrofit
Architect Todd Barnett, ALA, and Sarah Canon, project manager, with Barnett Architecture collaborated with the creative staff of designCraft to rejuvenate the company’s facility.
“It was truly a collaborative process,” Barnett says. “The client helps design advertising and develop brand strategy, so they understand the design process and colors. … They selected some colors and we were very supportive. Metal was the obvious choice because of the aesthetics, its ability to meet the building code and because of the low maintenance.”
The project received the 2016 Mayor’s Design Award for Office and Façade Renovation.
Photo: McElroy Metal