Unison Construction Management Ltd. drew inspiration from surrounding mountains in its design for Arc’teryx’s store. Diagonal zinc panels wrap around a prominent corner of the building, and natural granite complements the zinc and also references the mountains.
Unison was the architect and construction manager for the outdoor equipment and clothing retailer. Ehsan Vali, lead designer for the project at Unison, says, “I knew I wanted to use metal, and zinc caught my attention early on. I discovered that the nearby mountains contain significant deposits of both zinc and copper. And I came across different pictures of actual raw zinc and noticed the very linear, angular, clear lines with a bit of sheen. We quickly settled on RHEINZINK as the right material to deliver the cool, modern aesthetic to complement the brand.”
The Arc’teryx store was constructed by renovating and connecting two adjoining, linear structures. “We demolished a significant portion of the front of the building and reconstructed it to increase support for the façade height that was added,” Vali says. “It was a big challenge for our structural engineers. And we had to bring the building up to code in all disciplines; it was quite complicated for what you would expect from a 4,000-square-foot building.”
Jason Dore, COO at Ace Copper Specialists Ltd., fabricator and installer for the project, says, “To further complicate the job, the cap line at the roof was at a slightly different angle than the angle of the shingles. We hand-fabricated all of the top shingles on-site. And the designer didn’t want seams when we wrapped the panels around the corner. The installation had to be perfect to keep the angles all in place. The job was a challenge but turned out to be really striking.”
Ace Copper Specialists fabricated and installed 2,000 square feet of RHEINZINK America Inc.’s 24-inch-wide by 48-inch-long RHEINZINK Graphite-Grey zinc panels. Additionally, Ace Copper specialists installed RHEINZINK panels inside as infill material for various racks and product display areas.
