Located in the Uptown area of Minneapolis, the North Face single-story retail building features an energy efficient shell, allowing most of the design energy and budget to be directed toward the retail storefront.
“Uptown is a mix of various cultural strains and is considered a trendy area for young people to live and shop,” said Michelle Allen, AIA, of JLG Architects, Minneapolis. “It’s one of the few areas outside downtown Minneapolis and area malls where national retailers establish urban storefronts.”
According to Allen, the cost-effective urban infill retail store has a modern storefront solution that respects the proportion and scale of the existing urban content.
The glass curtainwall within a metal frame, punctuated by a red composite panel box, draws passersby to the entrance while serving as a signature signage element. “The infill structure fits seamlessly within the eclectic neighborhood, while the restraint of the minimalist façade sustains the integrity of its historic neighbors by not forcing them to compete for attention,” Allen said.
The Construction Type II-B building has a masonry exterior (CMU) with steel bar joists and metal decking, steel stud interior framing and a curtainwall storefront framing system. Wausau Window and Wall Systems, Wausau, Wis., supplied 900 square feet (84 m2) of Wausau Superwall curtainwall for the project.
Alcoa Architectural Products, Eastman, Ga., supplied approximately 850 square feet (79 m2) of Reynobond 0.16-inch (4-mm) aluminum composite material wall panels, while Chesapeake, Va.-based ALPOLIC supplied 0.12-inch (3-mm) ALPOLIC ACM panels that were used for the “North Face” logo.
“The principal feature of the project is the retail storefront, and we felt that metal wall panels were a solution that aptly represented the retail tenant and made a clearly modern statement,” Allen said.
“The elevation faces east, so solar heat gain and merchandise fading are relatively minor issues, allowing us to glaze a substantial portion of the façade,” Allen continued. “The metal panel serves as the ‘frame’ of that façade, and the signature red panel is emphasized by being placed within the transparent glass field.”
The North Face, Minneapolis
Award: 2008 Merit Award from the North Dakota chapter of the American Institute of Architects
Owner: JPM Properties, Minneapolis
Project developer: Master Development, Minneapolis
Architect: JLG Architects, Minneapolis
Retail designer: JGA, Southfield, Mich.
General contractor: Master Civil & Construction Engineering, Minneapolis
Structural engineer: Heyer Engineering, Minneapolis
Curtainwall designer/installer: W.L. Hall Co., Hopkins, Minn.
Metal wall panel installer: Specialty Systems Inc., Burnsville, Minn.
Curtainwall: Wausau Window and Wall Systems, Wausau, Wis.
ACM wall panels: Alcoa Architectural Products, Eastman, Ga.
ACM signage: ALPOLIC, Chesapeake, Va.
