It’s not unusual to see metal composite materials used on the exterior of a building. But many architects are finding the products to be excellent interior finishing materials as well, particularly for accent walls in lobbies and similar public spaces. In its design of an addition to John F. Kennedy High School in Bloomington, MN, the Cunningham Group proves the point. The Minneapolis, MN-based architectural firm specified copper-faced composite panels for the exterior of the school’s addition and then brought them into the interior to pull its design together and provide some added visual punch.

The panels were fabricated from ALPOLIC® MCM (metal composite material) from Mitsubishi Chemical FP America Inc. of Chesapeake, VA. The exterior face sheets of the panels are mill-finish copper while the liner sides are .020” aluminum. Sandwiched between is an polyethylene core.

Approximately 2,500 sq. ft. of the panels were needed to complete the project. They were fabricated and installed by InterClad Inc. of Plymouth, MN.