Let’s be honest with one another. No matter how elegant and design friendly a product is, in today’s construction market, the product has to be a “good deal” in terms of price if it is going to gain market acceptance. The projects featured in this column are excellent examples of how MCM panels have proven that they are affordable when all of the project requirements are considered.
What are some of the cost considerations that must be considered?
• First Cost – MCM panels probably average around $35 per square foot installed. That is not cheap but it is affordable and compares favorably with masonry, precast concrete, glass curtainwall and dimensional stone.
• Support Framing Required – Because of MCM’s great strength to weight ratio, the support framing required is usually less than all of its other competitors, so that makes it more affordable.
• Low Premium for Unusual Shapes – MCM panels can be fabricated into a variety of shapes: curved, flat, folded, sloping, you name it. Since MCM panels are easily shaped, in comparison to other materials, the premium required for these unusual shapes is less with MCM panels.
MCM panels must be affordable. The variety of different building types on which they are used is impressive. In the four projects featured in this article the following building types are represented: hospital, movie theater, corporate office building and convention center. That is a lot of diverse building types, and MCM was chosen for all of them and many others. 
The North Oaks Hospital in Covington, La., utilized MCM panels to form a unifying “front face” to the facility.
The AMC Theatre in Glendale, Ariz., took advantage of the MCM panel’s ability to form curved and folded shapes on the entrance to the theatre. 
Home Depot’s Store Support Center in suburban Atlanta combined MCM panels with an innovative curtainwall system to form large framed units that were installed from the inside floor of the building. This was possible because of the lightweight material. It was also a cost-saving alternative to the original precast concrete panels for the building.
MCM panels are used extensively on the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. Fascias, soffits, stairwell enclosures and column covers are all clad with the panels. Large-scale buildings, like convention centers, choose MCM panels in part because of the affordable first cost and in part because of their very low maintenance costs.
A review of these projects shows many reasons why MCM panels have become so popular and comparative cost is certainly one of the largest reasons.
As we explore these benefits, please feel free to drop me an email at ted.miller@millerclapperton.com to remind me of others.
Ted S. Miller is the CEO of The Miller Clapperton Partnership Inc., Austell, Ga. For more information, visit www.millerclapperton.com.
