Tag Archives: AIA

Architects, Metal Construction Companies Converge on Chicago

By: John Ryan, Metal Construction Association

This week the Metal Construction Association (MCA) is hosting its 2014 Summer Meeting at the Westin O’Hare in Rosemont, IL. Representatives from metal roof and wall manufacturers, as well as suppliers, consultants, fabricators and more, will be participating in meetings to expand the use of metal roofs and wall panels. Meetings kick off Monday with the lunchtime General Session featuring a panel discussion of metal construction industry leaders. Committee and council meetings will be conducted Monday through Wednesday.

Many of our MCA members will be extending their stay in Chicago to attend the 2014 AIA National Convention from Thursday, June 26 through Saturday, June 28 at McCormick Place. Be sure to stop by and see MCA members exhibiting this year, including:

Exhibitor Name Booth Number
3A Composites 1906
Akzo Nobel Coatings, Inc. 4042
Alcoa Architectural Products 1407
Alucobond 1215
Alucoil North America 2022
ATAS International, Inc. 3642
Bayer MaterialScience 1654
Centria 1425
Dow Building Solutions 4712
Englert, Inc. 3637
Fabral 606
Firestone Building Products 2113
MBCI 3845
Metal Architecture Magazine 4645
Metal Sales Manufacturing Corporation 1245
Metl-Span 4204
Mitsubishi Plastics Composites America, Inc. 3624
NorthClad 1815
Petersen Aluminum Corp. 4245
PPG Industries, Inc. 4617
Reynobond/Reynolux 1407
RHEINZINK America, Inc. 3209
Solvay 3608
Valspar 3618

We hope you enjoy your stay in Chicago!

AIA Economist Bullish on Nonresidential Construction Activity

By: Jane Martinsons, Metal Construction Association

Kermit Baker, AIAKermit Baker, chief economist for the American Institute of Architects in Washington, DC, told attendees at the recent MCA Annual Meeting in Clearwater Beach, FL, that although nonresidential construction has been slow to recover from a steep downturn in 2013, several emerging signs point to increased activity throughout 2014.

As a guest speaker at the January meeting, Baker noted several leading economic indicators that point to an improving economy, including that housing starts have accelerated in recent months and that house prices, which continue to recover, have gained back more than 40% of their losses. He also said that net household growth has been dominated by renters in recent years, pushing down the rate of ownership.

“The housing recovery is well underway, but production levels are still below long-term potential,” Baker said, adding that a rate of 1.6–1.8 million housing starts per year is still years away.

Despite the positive market fundamentals, there have been modest gains in spending on nonresidential buildings, Baker said. He noted that the nonresidential construction sector faces several challenges and opportunities, including that recovery to date remains modest, with little improvement over past year; commercial property values are recovering “nicely”; and real estate market fundamentals, such as vacancies and rents, remain positive for most commercial market segments.

Meanwhile, architecture billings point to emerging upturn in nonresidential building activity. “Even with slowdown toward the end of last year architecture billings are in the midst of an upturn, with the strongest growth since the recession began,” Baker said.

Baker added that construction spending should see solid single-digit growth in 2014, with recovery continuing into 2015.

Plans for the MCA Summer Meeting, set for June 23–25 at the Westin O’Hare in Rosemont, IL, are underway. Online hotel reservations and a preliminary program schedule are now available. For more information, visit the Events page on the MCA website.

MCA Member Companies to Exhibit at AIA National Convention

Building Leaders 2013

By: John Ryan, Metal Construction Association

If you’re in Denver this week to attend the 2013 AIA National Convention, be sure to stop by MCA’s booth (#1303) in the Metal Pavilion. Many of MCA’s member companies will also be exhibiting at the show, and will be displaying the many innovative metal roof and wall products and services that they have to offer. Here is a list of MCA member companies that will be at the convention in Denver this week:

Exhibitor Name          Booth Number
3A Composites USA, Inc. 1733
Akzo Nobel Coatings, Inc 1330
Alcoa Architectural Products 1523
Alpolic-Mitsubishi Plastics Composites America 3354
Alucoil North America 519
ATAS International, Inc 1306
BASF 338
Bayer Material Science 3946
CENTRIA 3303
Copper Development Association 3930
Englert 3647
Firestone Building Products 3966
ITW Buildex 3958
Kingspan Insulated Panels 610
MBCI 716
Metal Construction Association 1303
Metanna 1403
Metl-Span 3038
Metal Sales Manufacturing 323
Petersen Aluminum Corp 803
PPG Industries Inc. 1736
RHEINZINK America Inc. 2730
Sheffield Metals 706
Solvay Specialty Polymers 4042
Steelscape 419
Umicore Building Products 2509
Valspar 3333

Metal Construction in Denver: Denver Police Crime Lab

Denver Police Crime Lab

By: John Ryan, Metal Construction Association

We’re heading to Denver tomorrow for the 2013 AIA National Convention, and we are excited to see all of the beautiful architecture that Denver has to offer, metal or otherwise. We’re sure we’ll be spending a lot of time the Denver International Airport and the recently expanded Colorado Convention Center, and we’ll be walking the city to take in sites like Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium and the Denver Art Museum.

Denver Police Crime Lab Building Uses Aluminum PanlesOne place we also want to see–though we hope that it is on our own timeframe and not for an extended visit–is the Denver Police Crime Lab. This 60,000 sq. ft. facility opened in 2012, and houses nine crime forensic units. While we are fans of the numerous iterations of the CSI: Crime Scene Investigators TV series, we’ll be checking it out to admire the 30,000 sq. feet of Reynobond® aluminum composite panels in six different colors.

We hope you’ll stop by to visit us at the 2013 AIA National Convention; MCA will be in booth 1303. If you aren’t able to participate in Scott Kriner’s seminar this week: “Metal Roofing: The Perfect Platform for Solar Technologies,” Scott and  MCA staff will be in the booth over the course of the show and will be happy to answer any metal construction questions. And of course you can take the course (and others) via MCA’s monthly webinar series.

Metal Construction in Denver: Denver Art Museum

Denver Art Museum - Night

By: John Ryan, Metal Construction Association

As we ramp up for the AIA National Convention in Denver next week, any discussion of Denver architecture would be remiss to not include the striking Frederic C. Hamilton Building at the Denver Art Museum. Designed by Daniel Libeskind, the metal building addition opened in 2006 and has been a lightning rod for both praise and criticism.

Denver Art MuseumClad in titanium panels, the Frederic C. Hamilton Building reflects not just the Colorado sun, but also the shapes and angles found in the most prominent part of the Denver landscape–the Rocky Mountains. The metal building is sure to evoke strong feelings from even the most casual critic, but we simply appreciate the use of metal construction in new and engaging ways.

We’re excited to be in Denver next week, and will be sure to take in many of the many beautiful and varied examples of architecture. Stop by booth 1303 at the AIA National Convention in the Colorado Convention Center to say hello, and learn more about the beauty of metal walls and roofs.

Stop By and See Us at the AIA National Convention

Building Leaders

By: John Ryan, Metal Construction Association

The AIA National Convention is right around the corner, and the Metal Construction Association (MCA) is excited to expand its presence at the show this year. We’re not just planning to take up more floor space this year (though we will be bringing a shiny new display), we’re also excited to offer a new showfloor educational program for AIA CE credits.

So stop by booth 1303 within the Metal Pavillion between June 20-22, 2013 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver to say hello, and see some of the exciting things MCA has to offer.

In the booth you’ll be able to see a mock roof and attic assembly that will demonstrate the energy efficiency of metal roofs compared to a conventional asphalt shingle roof. We’re also bringing along some of our favorite case studies and technical articles, and, of course, we’ll be there to answer questions.

We hope you’ve signed up for Scott Kriner’s seminar: “Metal Roofing: The Perfect Platform for Solar Technologies,” in which you will learn about metal roofing and photovoltaic systems, and why the two are an ideal pairing in new and retrofit applications. Scott, MCA’s technical director, will conduct the session on the convention showfloor in CE Theatre B (booth 4156) on Thursday, June 20, from 12:30 – 1:30 pm. We’ve heard that it’s sold out, but you may want to double check with AIA on-site, or feel free to stop by the booth to speak with Scott and find out when the course will be offered via free webinar.

We’re looking forward to being in Denver next week, and hope you’ll stop by to see us at booth 1303.

And be sure to check back here over the next couple of weeks–we’ll try to post some fun examples of of our favorite metal construction projects in Denver.