Metal Panels Mirror Vietnam’s Bamboo Forests

by Christopher Brinckerhoff | June 6, 2024 6:00 am

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At the upper two floors of the Vietnamese American Service Center (VASC) in San Jose, Calif., vertical metal panels in a mixture of green and brown colors create a pattern designed to mimic bamboo forests in Vietnam.

Matthew Puckett, AIA, senior project manager at Aedis Architects, says, “Although the pattern looks random, it does have a very complicated pattern with a bunch of different widths, depths, and colors. So, for the installer, it was a complex puzzle piece,” Puckett says.

Pacific Erectors Inc. installed 698 m² (7,510 sf) of Dri-Design’s Shadow Series aluminum wall panels in five colors: Buttercup, Genesis Green, Light Brown, Marsh Green, and a clear anodized finish.

Pacific Erectors installed panels on a horizontal girt system with exterior grade polyisocyanurate insulation out-board for a weather barrier. Panels have a vertical running bond pattern, so they were installed in a stair step, from left to right, and bottom to top.

Jason Walters, LEED AP BD+C, CQM, project estimator at Pacific Erectors Inc., says, “The panels were shipped in like-painted colors, so they were organized at the jobsite by panel elevation. We had to figure out the relationship between ins and outs and the colors as they went around the building. Compared to the staging process, the actual panel installation was pretty quick, and the panels fit really well with the system.”

Inside, the first floor has registration and information areas, spaces for meetings, recreation, and education. The second floor has spaces for health care and dental services, and a pharmacy. The third floor has meeting rooms.

Sustainability was also a project goal. The building is zero-net-energy ready, all electric, and does not require use of fossil fuels.

Tyler Fowler, national sales director at Dri-Design, says, “The VASC is important for the Vietnamese community, giving them a place to call home in California. With Shadow Series, the building visually welcomes community members into their space while adding to the longevity and sustainability goals of the project.”

Owner: Santa Clara County, Calif., San Jose, Calif.
Architect: Aedis Architects, San Jose, Calif., www.aedisarchitects.com[2]
General contractor: Rodan Builders Inc., Hayward, Calif., rodanbuilders.com[3]
Installer: Pacific Erectors Inc., Rocklin, Calif., www.pacificerectors.com[4]
Metal wall panels: Dri-Design, Holland, Mich., www.dri-design.com[5]

Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/general/metal-panels-bamboo-forests/

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