Essentially serving as a big “Welcome to Stamford” sign, a sculpted, wavy 3D metal façade adorns the new parking garage and connecting pedestrian bridge at the Connecticut Department of Transportation’s Stamford Train Station.
Located west of Washington Boulevard between I-95 and a set of railroad tracks, 66,000 square feet of 0.125-in. perforated aluminum comprises the Metalwerks Sculpted 3D/Screenwall Series cladding and Arcwall Bridge.
Engineered for long-term durability, a 2-coat Sherwin Williams Fluropon Classic II clear anodized finish enables the material to withstand the corrosive environment near the sea. The cladding also serves as a dry-set, drained and back-ventilated rainscreen system.
To enable the installation’s unique, wave-like visual pattern, the design had to be engineered to support an 11-inch, 6-foot panel attachment to a vertical hollow structural sectioned steel supports. All the units were factory assembled with internal supports and shipped to the site as unitized assemblies. This then enabled a faster-paced, more simplified erection.
The designers incorporated an integrated LED lighting design element into the cladding. This enables a variety of colors and patterns to be projected, essentially presenting a dynamically-changing façade.
The Sculpted 3D system can be installed over continuous masonry, open steel or concrete structures, or as the outer rain screen cladding in a wall assembly. The system comes in a variety of forms and interchangeable wall panel design schemes, each producing bold, three-dimensional forms. The panels can also be designed with photovoltaic grids collecting solar energy. In addition to LED light integration, the metal panels can also be designed with ornamental elements.
The Arcwall panels can be flat, curved or formed into custom 3D profiles and installed horizontally and vertically. The system is entirely dry-set with integrally formed interlocking longitudinal joints and simplified backup guttering.
Next to New York’s Grand Central Terminal, Stamford Station is the second busiest station on the Metro-North line with more than 15,000 weekday travelers on Amtrak, CTrail, Greyhound, Peter Pan, and CTtransit.
The parking garage offers 92 electric vehicle charging stations, 120 bicycle parking spaces and 50 e-bike charging stations.
The garage and bridge are now serving as a landmark for the city, and the color changing high-efficient LED lighting helps celebrate special events and holidays.
