The American Institute of Architects-Southern Illinois Chapter has awarded a recent ATAS International,Inc. project with a Design Citation award. The Plumbers & Pipefitter Union Local 101 in Bellville, Ill., won in the commercial category, under $3 million. According to jurors, the project won for its use of materials, creative use of a metal building, functional space and colorful design. The headquarters and training facility features Rigid Wall (MFR160) and prefabricated mitered corners from ATAS.
Designed by EWR Associates Inc., Fairview Heights, Ill., the 18,720-square-foot facility includes staff offices, a meeting room that accommodates more than 500 people, and a training center with classroom space and a shop area that has state-of-the-art equipment and technologies. This facility replaces a bungalow-style headquarters built in the 1940s. Not only does the new headquarters provide more space, but training opportunities were incorporated into every facet of the building. For instance, the mechanical, plumbing and fire protection systems were designed to allow classes to gather around them.
According to Steven Downen, AIA, LEED AP, with EWR Associates, the union wanted to use a metal building system, but no one wanted the headquarters to look like every other basic building in the industrial park. Rigid Wall was selected to help create a powerful visual impact by contrasting other building façade materials and adding texture. Rigid Wall is a structural wall panel with ribs that create dramatic shadow lines. “The large horizontal ribs meet at the outside corner in a mitered configuration, giving the building a solid and strong appearance,” Downen adds.
The 22-gauge steel panels have a Silversmith color, and about 3,900 square feet was used. Rigid Wall was installed by Industrial Sheet Metal Erector, St. Charles, Mo., and distributed by American Metals, Fenton, Mo.
“EWR Associates and the union should be commended on recognizing the far-reaching design capabilities of metal and using the material to its potential,” says Dick Bus, president of ATAS. “Rigid Wall is one of our most popular profiles because of its shadow lines and strong visuals, as seen in this project.”
