Metal roofing and wall panels from Fabral were used in Atlanta, GA to create the Big Nerd Ranch Galactic Headquarters, home to the technology training and consulting firm.

The renovation features 4,600 sq. ft. of Fabral’s 4″ Rib exposed-fastener wall panels in pewter color, along with 7,200 sq. ft. of PowerSeam standing seam roof panels in bright silver, and 600 sq. ft. of Silhouette HCF 12-C concealed-fastener wall panels in pewter with accents in terra cotta.

The Big Nerd Ranch is a company founded by Aaron Hillegass, an early developer at Apple and author. He needed a new building for the Big Nerd Ranch and decided to renovate a dilapidated iron works warehouse. Hillegass wanted to maintain the steel structure of the building, which was described as “originally built haphazardly and left in poor condition”.

“This was one messed up building…it didn’t have a right angle in it,” said the project’s lead architect, Leslie Ellsworth with Kronberg Wall Architects LLC of Atlanta, GA. It was very difficult to document dimensions of the existing structure, which required extensive support in the field and hours of going over specific details to manage unforeseen issues.

The revitalized building features vertical to horizontal transitions using the metal panels. Fabral panels were chosen for their 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 said that Fabral will be used again in phase two of the Nerd Herd Ranch project.

By using viable materials to transform an abandoned warehouse into a modern, functional office building, the Big Nerd Ranch Galactic Headquarters offers inspiration for sustainability.

Photo information: The first four photos show the project after renovations, while the last photo shows the existing structure prior to improvements.