Maplewood, MN-based M.G. McGrath has established itself as a leading fabricator and installer of custom architectural metal façade systems. Examples of the firm’s work can be seen throughout its home state, including in the company’s own backyard.

The exterior of the Maplewood Library is a showcase for McGrath’s talents, featuring 8,000 sq. ft. of the company’s hook seam wall panels—fabricated from RHEINZINK material—and 8,500 sq. ft. of .090”-thick flush seam wall panels faced with expanded aluminum sheets. McGrath also created for the project 8,500 sq. ft. of prefinished liner panels.

“Every mesh panel presented its own unique aspect of squareness, which meant the forming of these panels was a critical part that required precise layout,” said a statement about the project by M.G. McGrath. But the ability to deliver precision work is nothing new to the 22-year-old company and no doubt played a role in its being selected for the project.

The library was designed by Hammel Green and Abrahamson Architects (HGA), headquartered in Minnesota. The firm has seen firsthand McGrath’s capabilities, having utilized the firm’s skills on a number of past projects, including the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, which also uses expanded metal panels as an outer skin. No doubt the complexity of that project made the library job easy in comparison.

The contractor team on the library project include McGough Construction of St. Paul, MN; All Metro Glass of Maplewood; and Berwald Roofing, North St. Paul.