Category Archives: Tradeshow

Metal Construction Highlights: Las Vegas Edition

Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health
Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health,
Las Vegas

By: John Ryan, Metal Construction Association

I’m getting ready to head to Las Vegas next week for the International Roofing Expo. I have to admit, I’m excited. Believe it or not (and most do not), I’ve never been to Las Vegas.

There’s no doubt that most of my time will be spent within the concrete walls of the Mandalay Bay Convention Center manning the Metal Construction Association (MCA) booth (booth #2143–stop by to say hello!), but I am looking forward to exploring the sights and sounds of Las Vegas.

One thing I always try to do before I travel to a new city for business is scope out some architectural highlights to visit. And since I work for MCA, I admit that I am always looking for real-life examples of metal construction.

Here are a few examples of metal roofs and walls that I plan to see while in Las Vegas. Feel free to let us know what your favorites are!

McCarran International Airport, featuring Alucobond Plus
Alcoa Reynobond - Terminal 3 Parking Garage

McCarran International Airport

I won’t have to wait long to see an example of metal construction after touching down in Las Vegas–the McCarran International Airport recently completed an expansion project that featured Alucobond Plus metal composite material (MCM) panels from 3A Composites.

The Terminal 3 parking garage also features metal wall panels: Reynobond aluminum MCM panels from Alcoa. I’m sure the airport won’t be the most exciting part of my stay in Las Vegas, but the metal cladding will at least give me reason for pause at the airport.

The D Casino

The D Casino, Petersen AluminumAfter a long day on the convention center floor manning the MCA booth, I can usually be found enjoying a quiet meal and catching up on e-mails back in my hotel room. But Las Vegas is all about the casinos, so I am sure I will venture into a casino or two at some point during the week. Why not try my luck with the one-armed bandits at The D Casino in downtown Las Vegas, which sports a new, metal-clad entrance from Petersen Aluminum? I’m looking forward to walking the strip–and I understand it is a long walk– to see the impressive architecture of the casinos. The over-the-top extravagance and grandiose resorts should serve as a not-so-subtle reminder that the odds are not in my favor for a big payday!

Downtown Container Park

Downtown Container ParkLas Vegas isn’t all casinos, glitz and glamor–there is plenty for families to do and enjoy. Even though my family won’t be traveling with me, I plan to check out the Downtown Container Park for some shopping and dining. It’s located away from the main strip on Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas. It’s just what it sounds like–a park and shopping center crafted from shipping containers. Architects and designers are finding new ways to utilize old shipping containers as structures, and this project reminds me of one of MCA’s 2012 Chairman’s Award Winners that also features shipping containers.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Las Vegas Motor Speedway, featuring Centria IMPsAnd if I feel the need for speed, perhaps I will make my way over to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Even though the speedway’s NASCAR weekend events won’t be until the first week of March, it may be worth a quick visit to check out the exterior  since it is clad in Centria’s Formawall insulated metal panels.

Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health

Designed by esteemed architect Frank Gehry, the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health (pictured at the top of this blog post) is a national resource for research and treatment of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s Diseases, Multiple Sclerosis and ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). While the design of the building has been a lightning rod for both praise and criticism, the important work being done within the stainless-steel clad walls is what’s most important.

Let us know if you have any other recommendations for Las Vegas architectural highlights. And if you are at the IRE show, we hope you will stop by the MCA booth–as well as our member’s booths–to say hello and learn about the many benefits of metal roofing.

Visit MCA at the International Roofing Expo in Las Vegas

MCA Exhibits at IREWe’re excited to be heading to Las Vegas next week for the International Roofing Expo (IRE). If you’re at the show, we hope you’ll stop by and visit us in booth #2341. We’ll be at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas from Wednesday, February 26 through Friday, February 28. We’d enjoy meeting you, and look forward to answering any questions you might have about metal roofing.

Many MCA members will also be exhibiting at IRE next week, as well. Stop by their booths to see the exciting products and services that they offer.

Exhibitor Name                             Member Category                               Booth Number
ABC Supply Co., Inc.                    Distributor                                            1423
Arkema, Inc.                                  Manufacturer                                       562
ATAS International, Inc.                Manufacturer                                       2242
BASF Corporation                        Insulation Mfr                                       925
Drexel Metals                               Distributor                                             2437
Englert, Inc.                                   Manufacturer                                       1037
Fabral                                            Manufacturer                                       2135
Firestone Building Products        Manufacturer                                       1813
GSSI Sealants, Inc.                       Accessories                                         2154
MBCI                                             Manufacturer                                       2121
McElroy Metal                              Manufacturer                                       2349
Metal Construction News            Publication                                          2336
Metal Roofing Magazine              Publication                                          2141
Metal Sales Manufacturing         Manufacturer                                       2127
Metalforming, Inc.                        Equipment Mfr                                     1436
Petersen Aluminum Corp.           Manufacturer                                       842
RHEINZINK America, Inc.            Distributor                                            1722
Roof Hugger                                Accessories                                          742
SFS intec, Inc.                              Accessories                                          1727
Sheffield Metals International    Distributor                                             2259
TAMKO Building Products, Inc.  Manufacturer                                        525
Triangle Fastener Corporation   Accessories                                         2131

We hope to see you in Las Vegas!

Visit MCA–and 44 MCA Member Companies–at METALCON

By: John Ryan, Metal Construction Association

METALCON kicks off on Tuesday, October 1st. Be sure to stop by Metal Construction Association‘s (MCA) booth (#1553) to see a roofing assembly that illustrates a variety of sustainable technologies, and get the latest technical developments and case studies available. On display will also be MCA’s new website: www.metalconstruction.org.

And be sure to visit one of the 44 MCA member companies that are exhibiting at METALCON for the latest product developments in the metal construction industry.

Company Name                                                  Booth #

ABC Supply                                                            1730
Akzo Nobel Coatings, Inc.                                    621
Alcoa Architectural Products                              1232
Aluminum Association                                         512
Arkema, Inc.                                                           1436
ATAS International, Inc                                         1615
Atlas Bolt & Screw                                                 1439
The Bradbury Company                                       1121
Central States Manufacturing Inc.                       901
CENTRIA                                                                   1030
Classic Metal Roofing Systems                             1131
(Isaiah Industries)        
DesignandBuildwithMetal.com                            528
Drexel Metals                                                          1807
Dura Coat Products, Inc.                                       635
Englert, Inc.                                                              921
Everlast Metals                                                       1835
Fabral                                                                       1637
Firestone Building Products                                 1015
FLEXOSPAN Inc.                                                      1341
GSSI Sealants Inc.                                                   1933
ITW Buildex                                                             1731
MBCI                                                                         1221
McElroy Metal, Inc.                                                  827
Metal Construction News                                      702
Metal Roofing Magazine                                        2246
Metal Sales Manufacturing Corp.                        1332
METALFORMING, Inc.                                             1421
Metl-Span                                                                 1138
Petersen Aluminum Corp.                                     1033
PPG Industries Inc.                                                  1321
Precoat Metals                                                         1725
RHEINZINK America Inc.                                         943
Roof Hugger, Inc.                                                     1143
SFS Intec, Inc.                                                           1132
Sheffield Metals                                                       1609
Solvay                                                                         904
Steel Dynamics                                                         647
Steelscape                                                                 721
TAMKO Building Products Inc.                               833
Triangle Fastener Corp.                                           747
U.S. Steel Corp.                                                        1830
Umicore Building Products USA, Inc.                   1054
Valspar Corporation                                               1001
Vicwest                                                                      821

We hope to see you at METALCON!

MetalCon