Steel cladding connects arts venue with shipbuilding past

by Jonathan McGaha | May 31, 2016 12:00 am

McHenry Architecture drew inspiration from shipbuilding history and scrap metal piles that line the shore for the adaptive reuse project of 3S Artspace in Portsmouth, N.H. The project transformed an underutilized warehouse space on the waterfront of the city’s downtown historic district into a multidisciplinary arts venue for a nonprofit organization. The exterior features weathering steel cladding in alternating profiles, weathered wood boards and translucent cladding at the entrances. Steve McHenry, principal at McHenry Architecture, says the project renovated a concrete building. “Simple and rustic raw materials seemed appropriate yet visually distinctive,” he says.

MetalTech-USA fabricated approximately 3,300 square feet of Central Steel Service Inc.’s 22-gauge sinusoidal corrugated weathering steel panels and 1,800 square feet of 20-gauge flat weathering steel panels for the project.

Industrial Roofing Cos. installed throughfastened panels to plywood underlayment with stainless steel screws and exposed fastener heads. David Link is services manager at Industrial Roofing Companies. “The project was a good project for the community and with the finishes, including the weathering steel, fit right in the area and looked like it had been there for a while,” Link says.

The 10,000-square-foot 3S Artspace was completed in December 2014 and houses performance space, gallery space and a restaurant.

Owner: Portsmouth, N.H.
Architect: McHenry Architecture, Portsmouth[1]
Installer: Industrial Roofing Cos., Lewiston, Maine[2]
Fabricator: MetalTech-USA, Peachtree City, Ga., www.metaltech-usa.com[3]
Steel: Central Steel Service Inc., Pelham, Ala., www.centralsteelservice.com[4]

Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/projects/steel-cladding-connects-arts-venue-with-shipbuilding-past/

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