Case Studies
Stainless Steel Roof, Zinc Walls Add to Contemporary Look of Tennessee Art Museum
The Challenge:
The recent construction of the West addition to Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga, Tenn., presented a design challenge facing many American cultural institutions – how to establish a fresh, yet affordable exterior image that reaches out to the larger community with intriguing, welcoming forms.
The Solution:
The project architect, Randall Stout of Los Angeles, developed a building design inspired by the rock strata in the cliff on which the museum rests, as well as the dynamic movements of an adjacent river. In shaping a bold new image for the new museum wing, the architect specified 25,000 square-feet of undulating stainless steel roofing with an angel hair finish and 35,000 square feet of oxidized zinc wall cladding. (The zinc was said to resemble the rock strata in the cliff below the museum.) While the selection of the stainless steel roof and zinc wall system was based largely on design considerations, anticipated initial and long-term costs were also carefully weighed. The installed and anticipated life-cycle costs of the stainless steel and zinc panels were estimated to be considerably less than the installed and life-cycle costs projected for non-metal roof and wall materials considered for the project, according to Stout’s John Locke.
In addition to stainless steel and zinc, metals used in roof and exterior wall construction include coated steel, coated aluminum and copper. Metals used for roofs are typically installed as pre-formed panels, while metal wall systems are generally made from pre-formed, metal composite, or insulated panels.
