Custom sunshades incorporate a variety of shading techniques and aesthetic appeal
Quality Metalcrafts LLC, Rogers, Minn., supplied custom-manufactured sunshades and trellis’ to effectively meet Baltimore-based Marshall Craft Associates Inc.‘s strategy as it incorporated several different shading techniques while offering an aesthetic appeal for the administration of the new Engineering and Mathematics Facility at Cecil College in North East, Md.
In doing so, the top of the building required a very large sunshade feature that projected 87 inches from the building so that it effectively shaded a portion of the building. The sunshades required 1/2-inch-thick custom engineered outriggers supported by a custom fascia and rectangular tube design to complete the overall sunshade design.
During the design, Quality Metalcrafts worked closely with the subcontractor, Chesapeake Glazing Inc., Reistertown, Md., to ensure that the installation process was taken into high consideration due to the size of the shades. The brackets were attached early on in the process so that the curtainwall and other products could be installed and then followed with the sunshades. The key was to ensure that the sunshades were factory manufactured and preassembled. This made the installation process seamless as the preassembled units were pulled out of the crates and installed to the preinstalled bracketing.
In addition, the design called out for a custom-designed trellis feature that travelled from one end of the building to the other with large extended main features being on the two ends of the structure over the entrances. Although the trellis did offer some shading, its main appeal was creating a wow factor when you approached the building.
The design required a rectangular tube design on the exterior with a custom-radiused, 1/4-inch-thick blade that was attached to a radiused tube. The two end units were shipped preassembled so each unit could be lifted and installed as a preassembled unit for ease of installation by reducing or eliminating any field assembly for the contractor.
The sunshades and trellis both were engineering feats due to the size and projections required in the design. This includes custom designed and engineered bracketing that was attached to the building framing that had the ability to support the loads of the products.
Both products were painted with a two-coat mica, Kynar paint finish to match the Wausau, Wis.-based Wausau Window and Wall Systems‘ curtainwall product. The Engineering and Mathematics Facility is on track to receive a LEED Silver certification. Also aiding in the project’s certification are other shading devises, such as smaller mesh panel sunshades from Cambridge Architectural, Cambridge, Md., that tied into the curtainwall.
Quality Metalcrafts also supplied other Americlad products, including stainless steel radiused column covers, composite dry-set panel system, and custom-fabricated aluminum plate copings and miscellaneous brakemetal requirements. The subcontractor’s goal was to single source most of the architectural metal products for better control of a project that required so many different metal components.
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Mike Wallace is president and CEO of Quality Metalcrafts LLC, Rogers, Minn., which supplies its Americlad product line to the construction market. Wallace brings more than 35 years to the architectural metals market. To learn more, visit www.qmcrafts.com.