Fashionable Design

by Jonathan McGaha | August 31, 2010 12:00 am

Curved metal framing turned into runway

The new corporate headquarters of Dots, the national fashion specialty retailer, was designed to create a “wow factor” for both employees and visitors. Located in Solon, Ohio, the facility includes 192,000 square feet (17,837 m2) of office and distribution space.

Dots collaborated with architectural design firm Vocon, Cleveland, to create an atmosphere that embraced the Dots’ “fashion party” culture. According to Robert Glick, Dots chairman and CEO, “By combining the forces of creativity and construction, the end result is a cutting edge fashion facility.”

The 40-foot (12 m) tunnel—which doubles as a runway—links the reception area to the core of the building. Approximately 180 feet (55 m) of 3 5/8- inch (92 mm), 20-gauge Flex-C Trac made of galvanized steel from Flex-Ability Concepts, Oklahoma City, was used to help create the dramatic effect.

“We created a runway tunnel so that everyone who enters can feel like a model,” according to Vocon designer Tina Dempsey. “I had specified Flex-C Trac in the past and it made sense to me that if you turned it on its side, it could form the tunnel for us. We chose to force the perspective by changing the diameter of the tunnel from one end to the other.”

According to Ed Salim, CEO of South-East Construction, Macedonia, Ohio, framing contractor on the project, “We built the tunnel in 8-foot (2 m) sections and put the curvable track back to back. We templated one section and then dropped it down an inch or so every section in order to get the narrowing down effect.” Salim reports that they first tried to use a stud bender for the framing but quickly gave up on that approach. “We were able to do the job a lot easier with the Flex-C Trac,” he said.

The general contractor was Premier Development Partners, Cleveland.

Flex-Ability Concepts, www.flexabilityconcepts.com

Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/projects/fashionable-design/

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