Sleek vertical metal fabric panels from Cambridge Architectural smartly and cleanly clad the exterior of the parking garage servicing the new Grace Court complex in Phoenix, AZ.
The garage is one element of the four-square-block Grace Court plan, a project designed to revive an underdeveloped urban area in the periphery of the Phoenix Downtown District. In addition to the 800-car garage, the development boasts a renovated historic Grace Court School and three new office buildings. One of the new buildings occupies the same locale as the former Phoenix Madison Square Garden arena, constructed in 1929 for professional boxing and wrestling matches.
The northeast corner of the first floor of the building houses a museum honoring the arena, which was named after the famous venue in New York City. Grace Court also offers a superior landscape package, featuring an abundance of indigenous trees planted close together to provide pedestrians shaded outdoor areas in the Arizona heat.
A Cambridge Architectural Parkade™ system adorns the exterior of the parking garage in woven stainless steel fabric panels in tension. The modern appearance of the mesh adds to the overall contemporary vibe of the Grace Court development. The panels give the garage’s exterior a distinctive aerodynamic look, while providing a transparent safety barrier for occupants.
“Aesthetically, the stainless steel mesh matches the clear aluminum window frames of Grace Court’s adjacent office buildings,” says Robert Smith, Associate with Dick & Fritsche Design Group, the architect of the project. “And functionally, the material provides fall protection for the garage’s stair tower.”
Architectural mesh was specified for the Grace Court garage primarily because of its appearance, but its functional versatility emerged as an added benefit. Cambridge’s Parkade system offers security to garage occupants, but also facilitates air ventilation and views of the garage’s surroundings. The system accomplishes all this while adhering to the simple, modern look of the Grace Court development.
Cambridge is committed to supporting the design and construction team from preliminary concept to final installation on every project. For the Grace Court parking garage, Cambridge specially engineered a Parkade system for the structure’s facade to guarantee an efficient installation and to complement the architect’s design concept.
“Cambridge was great to work with because they stayed in constant communication with the project team, making sure the installation process went as efficiently as possible,” says Mark Tutelo, Associate at DL Withers, the general contractor of the project. “Everything came together very nicely, and everyone loves the end result.”
The Parkade system is one of the most popular options in the industry for garage construction. Employed in a number of projects similar to the Grace Court garage development, the system’s benefits are perfect for the architecture of parking structures because it offers both visual allure and reliable sustainability.
“We used Cambridge’s mesh on a previous project, and we were very happy with the outcome,” comments Smith. “So, when designing the Grace Court garage, Cambridge was the first manufacturer we thought of to help enhance the appearance of the structure’s exterior.”
“We were excited to lend our material and our system to the Grace Court project for a variety of reasons,” comments Heather Collins, Director of Marketing for Cambridge Architectural. “We were eager to be involved in the modernization of the urban area, and to work with the architects of Dick & Fritsche Design Group on another project.”
The Parkade system was fabricated with mesh in Cambridge’s Stripe metal fabric pattern, which features large-scaled, flexible open weaves that shade and screen structures including facades, parking garages and pavilions.
Cambridge’s Eclipse tension attachment hardware was used to install the Stripe product. Tailored edges are provided for expanses of flexible metal fabric in tension. Elegant, custom cut apertures receive the metal fabric ends in tubing that is integrated into a bracket and structural support design. Tube sizes may vary to emphasize or deemphasize the attachment. The Eclipse hardware is appropriate for lengths of metal fabric held in tension up to 100 feet.
Construction on the Grace Court parking garage was completed in August 2008. The project team consists of architect Dick & Fritsche Design Group, Phoenix, AZ, general contractor DL Withers Construction, Inc., Phoenix, AZ and facility developer DePonte Investments, Inc., Albuquerque, NM.
Cambridge Architectural Parkade metal fabric solutions lend unique aesthetic appeal, functionality, affordability and sustainable benefits to parking structure. As exterior cladding for parking garages, Parkade applications provide ventilation, fall protection, visibility, headlight attenuation, safety, security, and many additional functional benefits. Crafted of stainless steel and other alloys, Cambridge’s metal fabric products are offered in a variety of weaves, scales and finished for interior and exterior use. Each Cambridge system offers various attachment systems to provide support for architectural specification and installation.