2165 Spring Street, Long Beach, Calif.
Retrofit Team
Architect: Ware Malcomb, Irvine, Calif.
Metal Panel Installer: Emerald Metal Products, Signal Hill, Calif.
Metal Panel Distributor: 2H Construction, Signal Hill
Materials
Dri-Design Tapered Series Panels were integral to creating a new image for the building, which was constructed in 1985.
“The Dri-Design panels were specifically selected for their beautiful aesthetic and are what drove the design of the building exterior,” says Julia Carroll, project manager with Ware Malcomb. “The ability to tilt the panels in different directions inspired the visual effect of the fluttering wall, mimicking the panels moving in the wind.”
Emerald Metal Products installed 7,651 square feet of Tapered Series Panels and standard Dri-Design Panels in Bone White and Medium Gray colors. Tapered Series Panels can be angled in any direction to varying degrees and depths. This can occur without the need to modify the substrate or weather barrier.
Retrofit projects often have obstacles because of existing conditions; this building had uneven exterior walls. The Dri-Design panels’ lightweight aluminum construction allowed for the needed flexibility of substrate to correct the issue. Dale Gronewold, president of Emerald Metal Products, says, “The existing building leaned over 2 inches, so we had to add tapered hat-channel furring to make everything straight.”
Wall Panel Manufacturer: Dri-Design
Photo: Dri-Design