Inspired by the landscape of the Mississippi Delta region, the design of GRAMMY Museum Mississippi reflects its surroundings where Delta blues—the root form of most modern music—was born.
GRAMMY Museum Mississippi emphasizes the history of music and its lasting impact
GRAMMY Museum Mississippi. Photo: Horton Photography.
An Enhanced Exterior
Architecture firms Eley | Barkley in Cleveland, Miss., and Dale Partners Architects PA, based in Jackson, Miss., and Biloxi, Miss., jointly designed GRAMMY Museum Mississippi. Together, the architects crafted a building that captured both the internationally recognized GRAMMY brand and the culture of the Mississippi Delta—blending the two into one contemporary structure, which reflects the musical heritage found in Mississippi.
Jason Agostinelli, AIA, partner at Dale Partners, explained that most aspects of the building are unique to its environment. Both the Cleveland Music Foundation and GRAMMY Museum were adamant in having the building as a stand-alone structure on Delta State’s campus.
Metal was the designated material for the museum from the initial planning stages. Metal manufacturer, Elk Grove Village, Ill.-based Petersen Aluminum Corp. (PAC) supplied four different types of metal profiles from its PAC-CLAD product line for the project.
PAC representative, Richard Werne, was instrumental in specifying and getting samples to the architects, who chose exposed-fastener corrugated metal for the majority of the exterior. “It was a nod to the numerous farm buildings that can be found throughout the Mississippi Delta,” says Agostinelli.
To choose the colors for the building, a design committee consisting of several board members, staff from GRAMMY Museum L.A. LIVE, and design professionals was established. “Color selection began with a collaborative session during which the participants began to narrow the concepts,” says Emily Havens, executive director at the museum. “Color palettes were presented by the design professionals, and through an iterative process, the final colors were selected.”
The chosen colors for the PAC-CLAD metal panels include Weathered Zinc, Bone White, and a custom olive color. Petersen Aluminum and Minneapolis-based Sherwin-Williams Coil Coatings worked together for all of the Fluropon 70 percent PVDF coatings used on the metal panels, which have high-film integrity, excellent overall adhesion, and resistance to UV rays.
Most of the external cladding of GRAMMY Museum Mississippi utilizes over 30,000 square feet of 24-gauge corrugated metal panels coated with Fluropon Classic II in Weathered Zinc, a metallic gray shade. This two-coat system delivers directional appearance with added dimension due to its mica-based pigmentation. “The Weathered Zinc color was a perfect fit for giving the panel the contemporary look we wanted,” says Agostinelli.
The architecture firms on the project also specified the use of mitered corners instead of trim flashing for the corrugated metal panels. Agostinelli describes how they wanted to detail the corrugated metal panels to have a sleek and contemporary look, rather than the industrial look you get from trim pieces at all of the corners.
Architectural fabricator and installer, Arlington, Tenn.-based Ralph Jones Sheet Metalcustom-made approximately 160 panels with mitered corners to fit the building, and also installed all of the PAC-CLAD profiles for the museum.
A Multifunctional Space
Visitors of the 28,000-square-foot museum are welcomed by an expansive building, adorned with an image of well-known musicians and a wraparound porch. The concept of a large front porch was one of the initial considerations early into the project, as it would provide valuable space for public events. “This design feature, coupled with the soaring lobby, allows a great deal of flexibility for special events and provides a stunning appearance for first-time visitors,” says Havens.
Above the expansive porch is an open-air canopy that uses 3,700 square feet of 24-gauge Tite-Loc Plus panels with the Fluropon Bone White coating. Soffit and interior applications employed 900 square feet of 24-gauge steel flush panels, also in Bone White.
The remaining metal panels accent an upper portion of the building, surrounding a photo collage of award-winning artists. This section applied 2,700 square footage of 0.032-inch aluminum perforated ribbed panels coated with a two-coat Fluropon finish in the custom color Olive. “The color and perforations allow light into the building, while decreasing the mass and providing some screening from the western sun,” says Agostinelli.
Altogether, more than 37,000 square feet of installed Petersen Aluminum metal panels exemplify the essence of the surrounding Delta region, condensed into one impressive structure.
Jeff Alexander is the vice president of sales at Sherwin-Williams Coil Coating, Minneapolis. To learn more, visit coil.sherwin.com.