Metal Roofing: Piedmont Arrendale Amphitheater, Demorest, Ga. Winner: Armentrout Roebuck Matheny Consulting Group, Athens, Ga.
by Jonathan McGaha | June 30, 2010 12:00 am
Stage Presence: Amphitheater canopy’s ACM skin stands out against wetlands backdrop
“Metal was not merely a material selection for this project, it was designed with the possibilities of what can be achieved with metal. The faceted roof form not only emphasizes the stage, it also provides acoustical properties.”
That’s what one Design Awards judge said of the Piedmont Arrendale Amphitheater in Demorest, Ga. Deftly sculpted to match the natural contours of the gentle slopes bordering the wetlands preserve at Piedmont College, the canopy of the state-of-the-art outdoor entertainment venue cuts a striking profile against the wilderness of the wetlands directly behind center stage.The amphitheater has an infrastructure designed to accommodate everything from Piedmont College performances to larger-scale commercial productions. The architects at Armentrout Roebuck Matheny Consulting Group, Athens, Ga., used the natural slope of the land to their advantage, incorporating a multifunctional room to house lighting and electrical controls directly under the stage while preserving sight lines to the wetlands beyond. The canopy also acts as a shading device, particularly for people in the priority seating area.
“We wanted something that was going to have a sculptural quality to it. The client wanted this to be a special object in the landscape,” said Project Architect James Blythe. “We also wanted to work with the theatrical lighting and acoustics and make sure people would be in the shade as much as we could during the warmer months.”
Kistler McDougall Corp., Woodstock, Ga., fabricated and installed 5,000 feet (1,524 m) of Reynobond Aluminum Composite Material from Alcoa Architectural Products, Eastman, Ga., in a 2 1/4-inch (57-mm) Wet Seal System to create the amphitheater canopy. The faceted geometry of the design made it difficult to field measure the project. Each panel had to be cut to size in order to get the facets of each geometric shape just right. Since no two panels were alike, the firm used a Leica high-definition scanner to measure the canopy. The amphitheater was also built with a steel structure, fabricated and installed by J&J Welding in Gainesville, Ga.
Reynobond ACM, 0.16-inch (4-mm), PE core, with a Platinum Colorweld 300XL finish was the architects’ first choice for the skin of the canopy for several reasons: they wanted a material that would hold up well over time with little or no maintenance; that is lightweight with excellent dimensional stability so the supporting structure could be as efficient as possible; and that could be shaped and cut to create the aesthetic the design team envisioned. They felt that a traditional material would not do the canopy’s faceted shape the justice it deserved, and that it would not keep its shape and appearance over time.
“Early on we were looking at doing a fabric stretch over a steel structure, but the client wanted something that would hold up to weathering and big storms,” Blythe said. “Metal immediately became the choice. We knew it would hold up.”
Blythe said the sheen of the metallic finish was also a nice complement to the design and contrast to the wetlands backdrop.
“We at no point were trying to hide the canopy or blend it in,” Blythe said. “We wanted it to have a little bit of presence that would draw you in from off site. One of the nice things is throughout the day the aesthetic changes because of the way the sun hits it. It can be very reflective. It’s an ever evolving look even though the skin stays the same.”
One Design Awards judge added: “The venue fits perfectly with surrounding landscape, the materials do not clash with what’s already there.”
Piedmont Arrendale Amphitheater, Demorest, Ga.
Completed: October 2009
Total square footage: 10,700 square feet
Building Owner: Piedmont College
Architect: Armentrout Roebuck Matheny Consulting Group, Athens, Ga., www.arm-cg.com
General contractor: Scroggs & Grizzel, Gainesville, Ga.
Metal installer: Kistler McDougall Corp., Woodstock, Ga.
Steel structure: J&J Welding, Gainesville
Manufacturer: Alcoa Architectural Products, Eastman, Ga., www.reynobond.com
Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/projects/metal-roofing-piedmont-arrendale-amphitheater-demorest-ga-brwinner-armentrout-roebuck-matheny-consulting-group-athens-ga/