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When it came to deciding on the top metal building project and grand award winner, the judges didn’t have to debate about it much. The judge’s popular choice, all three remarked on the Central Arizona College Maricopa Campus’ use of exposed structural steel. Judge Mark Dewalt called it an outstanding project that was very well done, while Judge Ron van der Veen remarked on the consistency throughout in its use of metal, calling the detail, along with the space and light it creates, really wonderful.
Designed by SmithGroupJJR, Phoenix, the ground-up satellite campus in Maricopa, Ariz., is comprised of three new ‘academic sheds’ and a central plant. The campus aims to create a unique and authentic identity for the growing Central Arizona College, while creating a highly sustainable prototype. The three main buildings house all of the campus’ primary elements, including classrooms, science labs, a library, community rooms, learning center, bookstore, cafeteria and student services center. The campus is master planned for significant growth in the next 20 years, with the first four buildings representing the initial phase that will create a campus design language for future development.
“It’s pretty rare that you get a chance to plant the seeds for a brand new campus and set the tone for the next 100 years,” says Mark Kranz, design principal with the SmithGroupJJR. “Our goal was tocreate a new prototype for the desert campus and that’s a pretty unique challenge.”
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The campus is conceptually rooted in its historic agricultural roots and Native American legacy, explains Kranz. The structures are conceived as a series of honest, spare and no-maintenance “academic sheds,” where deep overhangs let interior academic spaces flow outdoors seamlessly. “Cor-Ten steel and rammed earth create the primary exterior language eliminating the need for long-term maintenance,” he says. “Unpainted structural steel and galvanized acoustical decking [from Metal Dek Group, Columbia, S.C.] create the main interior volumes, while continuous north-facing clerestory glazing [from Kawneer Co. Inc., Norcross, Ga.] harvests daylight, coupled with numerous large daylight ‘scoops.'”
The main campus front door is framed by four massive rammed earth walls that envelope the community room and library, which offer views of Seven Mile Mountain to the northwest. To protect the building envelope at the summer solstice, these rooms also feature large frosted glass shade fins from Viracon Inc., Owatonna, Minn. As Kranz notes, a combination of frosted and fritted patterning also creates a kinetic expression at the campus’ front door.
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The primary wall enclosure is made up of 24,000 square feet of custom Cor-Ten steel plate, fabricated and installed by Kovach Building Enclosures, Chandler, Ariz. Utilizing Cor-Ten steel coils from Metal Sales Manufacturing Corp., Louisville, Ky., Kovach sandblasted and pre-weathered 14-gauge A606 Type 4 Cor-Ten steel sheets that were hand brake bent into custom sizes.
A modulated panel layout coupled with a subtle ‘bent leg’ creates an elegant pattern of shade and shadow to the panels, while adding structural stability, describes Kranz. The 90,000 square feet of 22-gauge, 18-inch-wide Magna-Loc painted steel standing seam roof panels with a two-part faux-rust Kynar 500 paint finish from Metal Sales created a continuous roof membrane that complemented the overall campus language, and celebrated the rural shed vernacular. “The Cor-Ten panels gave us a no-maintenance and naturally oxidizing exterior language that was a natural and obvious reflection of the campus’ rural setting,” he adds.
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Structural steel from S&H Steel Co., Gilbert, Ariz., is apparent throughout the building’s interior, allowing for easy maintenance. “The interior strategy was to create super flexible and easily modifiable spaces with minimal partitions and no maintenance,” explains Kranz. “The campus is planned for growth and this allows for the buildings to be easily converted to different uses as new facilities come
on line.”
Each building is situated so it strategically turns its back to the harsh desert southern sun, while harvesting northern daylight, and creating a continuous shaded arcade on the south that connects the classrooms end to end. Kranz explains that R-30 walls and R-40 roofs create a super insulated high-performance envelope, while clerestory glazing fully illuminates the buildings’ interior from end to end with north light. Operable windows help naturally ventilate the open corridors, while large ‘super roofs’ maximize shaded outdoor space, extending the time frame that learning and interaction can occur outdoors. Additionally, large overhead fans create air movement to increase student comfort.
Central Arizona College Maricopa Campus, Maricopa, Ariz.
Completed: April 2013
Total square footage: 76,000 square feet
Building owner: Pinal County Community College District
Architect: SmithGroupJJR, Phoenix, www.smithgroupjjr.com
General contractor: CORE Construction, Phoenix,
www.coreconstruct.com
Metal wall panel fabricator/installer: Kovach Building Enclosures, Chandler, Ariz.,
www.kovach.net
Cor-Ten steel and metal roof panels: Metal Sales Manufacturing Corp., Louisville, Ky.,
www.metalsales.us.com
Curtainwall/skylights: Kawneer Co. Inc., Norcross, Ga., www.kawneer.com
Galvanized roof decking: Metal Dek Group, a unit of CSi, Columbia, S.C., www.metaldek.com
Glass shade fins: Viracon Inc., Owatonna, Minn.,
www.viracon.com
Structural steel: S&H Steel Co., Gilbert, Ariz., (480) 926-6062
Photos: Liam Frederick