Case Studies

Multiple Metal Wall Systems Give New Convention Center Added Curb Appeal

Challenge

In designing a new 55,000-square foot, $31 million conference and convention center in Lynnwood, Wash., the project architect sought an economical exterior wall system that could be quickly installed and give the building a warm, inviting appearance.

Solution

The architects, the Zervas Group of Bellingham, Wash., specified a structural steel skeleton and various styles and profiles of metal wall panels in an effort to avoid an overwhelming, monolithic mass of metal cladding. The systems installed feature metal composite, corrugated, and deep-ribbed industrial panels. The building’s large-scale exhibit hall space is clad with 12,800 square feet of 24-gauge, deep-ribbed panels with a factory-applied “cool” dark bronze paint finish. The paint is formulated with reflective pigments that make it much more energy efficient than traditional metal paints. For sections of the building that extend from the main exhibit hall, the architects specified 24-gauge corrugated metal panels in a “cool” metallic champagne, as well as corrugated, polyallomer-cored panels in coppertone.

The project architect saved the city of Lynnwood more than $225,000 by dropping initial plans for a masonry exterior and opting for metal panel profiles, each with a projected service life of more than 50 years.