A computer training and retreat facility, Big Nerd Ranch Galactic Headquarters in Atlanta, was renovated from a run-down ironworks facility. The building was transformed by maintaining the steel structure of the building while adding vertical to horizontal transitions using metal panels by Lancaster, Pa.-based Fabral in Pewter, Bright Silver and Terra Cotta. “This was one messed up building … it didn’t have a right angle in it,” notes Leslie Ellsworth, lead architect with Kronberg Wall, Atlanta. The building proved very difficult to document dimensions, required extensive support in the field and hours of going over specific details to manage unforeseen issues.
Fabral was chosen for its wide variety of easily available colors that gave Ellsworth the freedom to express her fresh and unique design vision. The support structure between Fabral’s engineering and customer care added further value by providing materials for Kronberg Wall to create a full-scale wall mock-up. Ellsworth says that Fabral will be used again in phase two of the Nerd Herd Ranch project. The general contractor was Derucki Construction, Cumming, Ga.; the installer was Bristol Engineered Metals, Duluth, Ga.; and the supplier was Orion Associates, Decatur, Ga.
The Big Nerd Ranch is a company founded by Aaron Hillegass, an early developer at Apple and author of what is considered the bible of Mac programming. For more than a decade the Big Nerd Ranch has been responsible for teaching programming languages, software consulting and producing instructional materials. The ranch has helped train employees across major tech companies while providing a place where programmers can “achieve Nerdvana.”
