2013 MCA Chairman's Awards
The Metal Construction Association (MCA) recognized its 2013 Chairman's Award recipients at this year's METALCON International in Atlanta. The Chairman's Awards are an annual designation given to outstanding building projects involving MCA member companies. The awards honor innovation and creativity while showcasing how metal products help achieve exceptional building designs.
Recipients for these awards are selected each year from projects submitted by MCA members to Metal Architecture magazine's annual Design Awards Program. This year, the honorees were chosen by a panel of professional architects. The panel consisted of:
- Elaine Fitzgerald, AIA, CCS, is a registered architect with experience in commercial, higher education and high-rise building design. Fitzgerald currently works as an architectural specifier for ArchiTech Consulting Inc., Chicago. She is an active member of the Construction Specifications Institute and Landmarks Illinois.
- Andrew M. Koglin, AIA, president of OKW Architects, Chicago, has more than 25 years of experience in residential, retail, institutional and office projects. Currently, he directs OKW's retail and mixed-use project group and, as president, he manages the day-to-day operation of the firm.
- Gabriel Wilcox, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP BD+C, design director at Legat Architects, Chicago, works extensively with metal and, according to the Legat website, integrates his technical knowledge of sustainable strategies into his design solutions. Wilcox considers himself a generalist and strives to blend all architectural factors-site, culture, context, climate, budget, safety-into a cohesive work.
Overall Excellence
Central Arizona College Maricopa Campus, Maricopa, Ariz.
The new satellite campus for the college in Maricopa, Ariz., includes three academic buildings and a central plant, and is in the initial phase of a 20-year campus design that reflects the area's historic roots. The highly sustainable structures were designed as a series of spare, no-maintenance 'academic sheds' with Corten steel as the primary exterior wall material. Painted metal standing seam roof panels provide an attractive, long-lasting, low-maintenance roof. The rusted metal wall panels provide a durable, economical solution that enhances the architect's concept of reflecting the area's Native American heritage.
The MCA judging panel thought this project stood out from all other entries with its intentionality of building design and the fact that it nested so well into its surroundings through the selected material pallet. The natural finish of the exposed metal reflected the landscape around it and the project ties nicely into green design. They were impressed with how the building has a different architectural expression depending on the sun's angle.
MCA member companies involved in the project include Metal Sales Manufacturing Corp., Louisville, Ky.; Precoat Metals, St. Louis; Steel Dynamics Inc., Fort Wayne, Ind.; U.S. Steel, Pittsburgh; and Valspar, Minneapolis. The architect for the project is SmithGroupJJR, Phoenix, and the contractor is CORE Construction, Phoenix. The metal installer is Kovach Building Enclosures, Chandler, Ariz.
Commercial /Industrial
Cirrus Logic Building, Austin, Texas
Cirrus Logic, a supplier of analog and digital components for the audio and energy markets, constructed a new corporate headquarters in downtown Austin that features attractive zinc panels and glass curtainwall. The six-story office building included perforated zinc panels on the parking garage. Both interlocking panels and corrugated panels were used on the structures.
According to the MCA judges, this project was chosen for its use of two types of panel systems. They noted that there is almost a sculptural quality of the building that is enhanced by the use of metal and carried out very tastefully.
MCA member Umicore Building Products USA Inc., Raleigh, N.C., provided the zinc panels for the project. The architects are Muñoz + Albin Architecture and Planning Inc., Houston; Ambrose, McEnany and House Architects, Houston; and Lake/Flato, San Antonio. The contractor is Harvey Cleary, Houston, and the metal installer is Kovach Building Enclosures, Chandler, Ariz.
Education-Primary and Secondary Schools
Sherwood Middle School, Shrewsbury, Mass.
Sherwood Middle School features a highly efficient exterior wall system and a low-tech solar wall application. The $34 million, 130,000-square-foot school provides a modern learning environment for approximately 1,000 fifth and sixth graders in the Shrewsbury Public School System. The energy-efficient metal panel systems and its highly recycled content helped this project obtain credits in the Massachusetts Collaborative for High Performance Schools.
The MCA judges took note of the dynamic façade with the variation in panel systems, especially the energy savings realized from the system that supplements interior heating. The judges appreciated that the architect put a lot of time into the design. MCA members 3A Composites USA Inc., Statesville, N.C.; ATAS International Inc., Allentown, Pa.; and CENTRIA, Moon Township, Pa.; provided metal materials for the project. Lamoureux Pagano & Associates, Worchester, Mass., is the architect, and Gilbane Building Co., Providence, R.I., is the contractor. The metal installer is Lymo Construction Co. Inc., Manchester, N.H.
Education -Colleges and Universities
MassArt Student Residence Hall, Boston
Based on input from an 80-person design charette that included administrators, students, faculty and others, this new residence hall was designed as a painting in the skyline. Metal panels in seven custom colors were positioned to simulate Gustav Klimt's 1909 "Tree of Life" painting.
The goal of the design was to express the individuality of the college and metal was ideal for simulating a colorful tree. For this project, the MCA judging panel admired the exceptional use of color and pattern around the window openings.
3A Composites USA Inc., Statesville, N.C., is the MCA member manufacturer. The architect is ADD Inc., Boston, and the contractor is Suffolk Construction, Boston. Lymo Construction, Manchester, N.H., is the metal installer.
Municipal
FDNY Fireboat Firehouse, New York City
The new 8,500-square-foot waterfront facility for Marine Company 1 in Manhattan is the last remaining fireboat company in the city. The facility provides docking space for FDNY's newest vessel that can pump 50 times more water than a typical fire truck. The design uses standing seam roof panels and flat lock tile, which are designed to weather to a lush patina.
The MCA judging panel felt this project stood out for its use of metal for the entire façade-creating a durable, maintenance-free building that is resistant to damage. They also thought it created a nice vision for passersby in the city.
The MCA member manufacturer is RHEINZINK America Inc., Woburn, Mass. The architect for this project is CDR Studio Architects PC, New York City, and the fabricator/metal installer is Beninati Roofing & Sheet Metal, Yonkers, N.Y. CT Roofing Reps Inc., East Berlin, Conn., is the distributor.
Institutional
The Tower Hospital at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago
The goals for the Tower Hospital at Rush University Medical Center were to support enhanced patient care and to establish a strong visual presence in Chicago's skyline. The result is a unique butterfly design using an unconventional metal panel system with numerous bull nose shapes, curves and very long lengths. The 840,000-square-foot building is LEED Gold Certified and uses metal panels for exterior wall cladding and as a color accent on column covers and interior mullions.
The MCA judging panel thought this project was very well executed and it stood out with the exceptional detailing of the metal panels. 3A Composites USA Inc., Statesville, N.C., is the MCA member manufacturer, and Sobotec Inc., Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, is the MCA member fabricator. The architect is Perkins +Will, Chicago, and the contractor is Powers/Jacobs Joint Venture, Chicago. ASI Ltd., Whitestown, Ind., is the installer.
Metal Roofing
VanDusen Botanical Garden Visitor Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
The VanDusen Botanical Garden Visitor Centre's unique design simulates a native orchid and it was designed to achieve a sustainable design and attracts more visitors to the garden. Undulating green roof panels on the building float above rammed earth and concrete walls. Metal panels are used for the unique roof in a five-petal design that dramatically flows to the ground in a half-barrel shape.
The MCA judges noted that this beautifully executed building has a roof crafted with exquisite detailing. The natural finish metal chosen for the building is easy to maintain.
3A Composites USA Inc., Statesville, N.C., is the MCA member manufacturer on the project. Perkins+Will Canada, Vancouver, is the architect and Ledcor Group of Companies, Vancouver, is the contractor. The metal installer for this project is Keith Panel Systems Co. Ltd., Vancouver.
Residential
Private Residence, Takoma Park, Md.
This private residence was renovated with metal panels that were chosen for their delicate corrugated scale that created the desired clever appearance. The owners wanted the house to respect its hilly, wooded surroundings while being creative and playful.
The judging panel thought this unique project contrasted well with the surrounding forest. They admired the simple use of materials throughout the whole façade and the attention to the texture changes based on panel orientation.
ATAS International Inc., Allentown, Pa., is the MCA member metal manufacturer, and McInturff Architects, Bethesda, Md., is the architect. Added Dimensions Inc., Takoma Park, is both the contractor and metal installer.
Honorable Mention for Exceptional Choice of Material
Stepping Stones Preschool, Wyncote, Pa.
Colorful metal was used in the exterior wall cladding and structural elements of a preschool building renovation for this Blue Ribbon private school to appeal to students and show them how a building fits together. Metal shingles were chosen for their texture and ability to mix different colors. The metal profile provided shadows, texture and color and the shingles added a graphic punch to the building-making this a playful creation and exciting learning tool for the students.
ATAS International Inc., Allentown, Pa., is the MCA member manufacturer. John J. DiBenedetto Associates, Jenkintown, Pa., is the architect and contractor. The metal installer is Griffith Exteriors Inc., Warminster, Pa.
Honorable Mention for Innovative Detailing
Williams Selyem Winery, Sonoma County, Calif.
The design of the Williams Selyem Winery in Sonoma County uses iconic elements of winemaking topped by a cantilevering wood and metal barrel-vaulted structure to recognize the winery's natural and minimalist philosophy and Sonoma's modernization. Zinc panels create the barrel vault roof and additional material is used for the fascia, soffit and gutter trim.
RHEINZINK America Inc., Woburn, Mass., is the MCA member manufacturer who provided the metal panels. D.arc Group + RBA, Pelham, N.Y., is the design architect, and Patrick Mervin + Associates Architects, Calistoga, Calif., is the architect of record. The contractor is Jim Murphy & Associates, Santa Rosa, Calif., and the fabricator is MetalTech-USA, Peachtree City, Ga. Architectural Metal Inc., Hopland, Calif., is the metal installer.
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For more information on the MCA Chairman's Awards, visit www.metalconstruction.org, or contact them at mca@metalconstruction.org.
Photo credits: Central Arizona College: Liam Frederick; MassArt:Kate Hensley, Suffolk Construction; Tower Hospital: Robert R. Gigliotti; Van Dusen: Raymond Chan, Photomedia Canada