Perforated panels establish beacon of technology

by Christopher Brinckerhoff | February 22, 2024 6:00 am

[1]LPA Inc. designed TIDE Academy (technology, innovation, design and engineering) in Menlo Park, Calif., to represent the building’s use for technology education, and reflect its location among technology companies.

The three-story, 4087.73 m² (44,000 sf), L-shaped building in the south end of the San Francisco Bay area. LPA designed it to provide access and connection to outside learning spaces, and views of the bay. Perforated metal panels contributed to the design.

Jason Zeeff, vice president at Dri-Design, says, “The design team focused on minimizing the environmental footprint of the school in various ways. The Perforated Series Panels do their part by shading the building and reducing solar heat gain while functioning as a railing in some areas and bringing visual interest to the entire school.”

Rua and Son Mechanical Inc. installed 13,000 square feet of Dri-Design’s perforated aluminum panels anodized in Medium Bronze. Rua and Son marked steel columns with installation points, and screwed panels on the marks directly onto the columns.

Fernando Huizar, project manager at Rua and Son Mechanical Inc., says, “The installation took about two to three months to complete. From our perspective, this is a pretty simple system. We didn’t need any special tools, just a laser and screws.”

Architect: LPA Inc., Irvine, Calif., lpadesignstudios.com[2]
Installer: Rua and Son Mechanical Inc., Rocklin, Calif., www.ruainc.com[3]
Metal wall panels: Dri-Design, Holland, Mich., www.dri-design.com[4]

 

Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/projects/education/perforated-panels-technology/

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