Metal panels used to modernize border crossing
Posted
10/5/2011
Commissioned by the Sault Ste. Marie Bridge Authority, the $50
million project modernized, renovated and expanded the GSA
Sault Ste. Marie Canadian Bridge Plaza in Sault Ste. Marie,
Ontario, Canada, the 10th-busiest border crossing between
the U.S. and Canada. The border crossing handles approximately 1.9
million passenger and commercial vehicles and $1.8 billion in trade
a year flowing between the twin cities of Sault Ste. Marie,
Ontario, and Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. The newly redesigned border
plaza includes a larger, two-story building for the Canada Border
Services Agency; seven primary inspection lanes-four for passenger
cars, two bi-level lanes for trucks and cars, and a dedicated lane
for trucks; on-site inspection facilities for cars and trucks;
NEXUS and FAST systems; and a VACIS x-ray scanning system. The
Sault Ste. Marie Bridge Authority evaluated various expansion plans
for its possible impact on the cultural, socioeconomic, natural and
archeological environment.
Completed in November 2010, Eastman, Ga.- based border
crossingsupplied 13,000 square feet of 4-mm Reynobond Natural
Brushed aluminum composite material panels with a PE core and
coated with a Durabrite C clear protective sealant. The ACM panels
were installed on the curved primary and secondary canopies at
soffit, fascia and parapet locations. The steel structures were
field surveyed and a 3-D model was constructed to achieve the
precise layout for the galvanized framing system and ACM panel
enclosures. The ACM was selected to replace existing canvas
canopies that could not support the heavy snows during Northern
Michigan winters. The Natural Brushed ACM was selected by the
design team for its superior flatness and its natural metal
characteristics of brushed aluminum, in addition to meeting budget
requirements.
The building owner is International Bridge Administration, Sault
Ste. Marie, Mich. Ross Barney Architects Inc., Chicago, designed
the buildings and Julie Snow Architects Inc., Minneapolis,
completed the canopy study and did the redesign portion of the
project. Industrial Maintenance Services Inc., Escanaba, Mich., was
the general contractor, and Riverside Group, Windsor, Ontario,
Canada, was the panel fabricator and installer.
Alcoa Architectural Products,
www.alcoaarchitecturalproducts.com