This Kentucky hospital wanted to add additional floors. The weight of concrete would have only permitted a single additional floor. Decreasing the weight of the wall system made the additions lighter, making two new floors – and additional patient space – a reality. Read the
Tag Archives: metal panels
WHAT’S HOT FROM THE SUMMER MEETING: Spray Foam on Metal Panels
The use of spray polyurethane foam insulation on single skin metal panels is being studied for wall and roof assemblies. A research project to evaluate the detrimental effects on metal was proposed with the Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance (SPFA) and with the Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA). Issues such as oil canning from the exothermic curing of the foam and related elevated temperatures is one such item to evaluate. Other concerns are centered around potential damage to paint films. As a collaboration among MCA, MBMA and SPFA, preliminary research has already been done to evaluate the exothermic curing on metal. The next phase will include the use of full size wall and roof assemblies with foam sprayed in different ways. Results of the project will be used to generate a “Do’s and Don’ts” guideline for using spray foam insulation with metal wall and roof assemblies.
3 Reasons Why Facebook Chose Perforated Metal Panels
By: Jane Martinsons, Metal Construction Association
There are three very good reasons why nearly a quarter of the 65,000 square feet of metal wall panels on Facebook’s new data center in Prineville, OR, are perforated panels. Foremost, the screen metal walls secure the center’s sizable generator yard and help ventilate its diesel-fueled backup generators.
The metal panels, including the perforated metal panels, also are customized by Metal Sales Manufacturing Corporation to allow the entire structure to meet strict LEED® Gold certification standards. More than half of each perforated panel—52.94%, to be exact—is open area for ventilation.
Last is aesthetics. The metal panels perfectly complement the simple and minimalist design of the neutral-colored center. But don’t let the Facebook data center’s understated façade fool you; inside the center is a powerhouse. The energy-efficient structure houses tens of thousands of Facebook’s servers containing information for its 800 million users. The only hint that the building serves one of the busiest websites in the world is the blue flag with the iconic ‘Facebook’ logo.
To recap, those three reasons are –
1. Superior ventilation
2. LEED® Standards
3. Aesthetics
Want to learn more about the role metal has played in Facebook’s new data center? Metal Sales has the full story.
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