All posts by jenatvilocity

Bidding & Estimating Insulated Metal Panels

Gain an understanding of the different types of buildings that utilize insulated metal panels (IMPs), from basic structures to more complex industrial and commercial buildings with various elevations, to even more complex custom architectural applications, including custom fabricated panels and accessories.

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Want Durability? Then You Want to Use Metal

Did you know metal panels last longer than some of the materials they emulate, such as wood? Thanks to pretreatment and multiple coatings, metal panels are designed to withstand harsh weather elements and provide excellent corrosion resistance.

Learn more about the benefits of metal and earn CE credits at the MCA Metal University >

Photo courtesy of MCA Member Centria

Coast to Profits with Coatings

You already know the benefits of coatings include sustainability, energy savings and ability to be used on many surfaces, but are you aware of their profit potential? Commercial sales of coatings grew in 2022 by a whopping 47% compared to the previous year. Want to beat the competition? Take the gloves off and get the coatings on.

Source: Commercial Roofing Report

Photo courtesy of DuPont Tedlar

A Walk in the Park

A unique cantilevered, angled design creates a tiered curtainwall scheme, broken up by large metal plates, at the 36-story 100 Above the Park residential tower.

As Studio Gang’s first commission in St. Louis, the 316-unit high-rise overlooks Forest Park and the famous Gateway Arch.

Thanks to the building’s unique massing, this creates an open rooftop experience for the many residential balconies created by the cantilevered curtainwall and architectural metal design.

“This project’s tiering—where every four or five stories it flares out and then comes back in—dramatically increases the number of places where people can be outside on what feels like a rooftop deck, because you don’t have another extended platform right above you,” stated David Fields, P.E., S.E., LEED AP, senior principal, Magnusson Klemencic Associates, Seattle, in an Informed Infrastructure article.

In addition, the leaf-shaped facade, a nod to Forest Park, and tiered massing improves the building’s performance by providing self-shading and cross ventilation, thereby reducing the overall energy load and boosting occupant comfort. 

Enhancing the glass curtainwall aesthetic are panels of Lorin ClearMatt Architectural Class 1 anodized aluminum. In all, 100,000 pounds of aluminum were used for the Green Globes-certified building.

As to why metal cladding was selected for this project recognized with a 2022 MCA Design Award in the Single Skin Panels category, Phil Pearce, vice president, global sales and marketing, Lorin Industries, Holland, Mich., explains it was “for the highly-reflective, but diffuse look and its proven ability to retain these exceptional aesthetic qualities for decades to come with minimal maintenance.”

To ensure safety during metal panel installation, the contractor Clayco performed daily inspections of the swing-stage rigging and required every crew member to undergo task-specific training. Each move was carefully planned and each swing stage for the metal panels had to be moved approximately 150 times.

To optimize the curtainwall design and installation, life-size mockups helped the team to visualize window slopes and how they would transition with the units’ vertical terraces. This was based off of a 3D model of the slab edges and GPS data to layout the decks from the project’s MKA-created design drawings. Another model was created to assess forces such as wind, seismic and gravity, and evaluate how stress is distributed throughout the building’s structural frame down to its foundations.

Each apartment in the 85-foot-tall, 518,000-square-foot residential tower features its own corner living room with double exposures for panoramic views and maximized daylighting. Multiple green roofs collect and store rain water for irrigation and reduce storm water runoff.

“The scalloped façade and leaf-shaped plan of the 100 enable natural light and fresh air into every apartment, optimizing performance while making beautiful spaces on the interior,” stated Jeanne Gang, founding principal and partner, Studio Gang. 

Fear the Turtle, Love the IMP

Enclosing the Terrapin football team’s bold new home for athletic performance and football operations with Insulated Metal Panels (IMPs) proved a smart offensive move. Employing these single-component panels was vital in creating an iconic home for the team and helped the project succeed, cutting down labor costs by limiting the number of trades needed on-site. That’s a win all around.

See the case study >

Case Study and Photos Courtesy of MCA Member: Kingspan Insulated Panels

Designing Outside the Box

IMPs and Their Role in a Low Carbon World

Take MCA’s most popular course in 2022! Learn to make sustainable material selections from both traditional and alternative building products.

Earn AIA CE Credit > https://continuingeducation.bnpmedia.com/courses/metal-construction-association/designing-outside-the-box/

Photo courtesy of MCA Member Kingspan Insulated Panels

40 Years of Building a Stronger Industry

For 40 years, the Metal Construction Association has been committed to promoting the metal construction industry. We have helped raise awareness, improve safety standards, and informed building owners, architects, and the public about the benefits of building with metal. We’re proud of the accomplishments and progress we’ve made – and our success. Metal is now one of the most sought after materials in construction for its durability, sustainability, and amazing aesthetic possibilities! Here’s to the next 40!

Photo courtesy of 3A Composites USA