A cost-effective design solution brought Dri-Design to the Hill 7 development in Seattle, WA. Dri-Design wall panels clad the exterior of the 222-room Hilton Garden Inn, and Dri-Design Tapered Series Panels are the polished stainless-steel soffit for the adjoining office building. This combination creates a spectacular streetscape for a downtown development.
“We were looking for a metal panel system where we had freedom with the vertical joint alignment,” explains Jeffrey Goupil, LEED AP, a senior associate with the architectural firm Aedas Seattle LLC, Seattle. “The design allowed for staggering of the vertical joints.”
The hotel is clad in 45,000 square feet of post-painted aluminum panels. The aluminum panels have Silver and Wrought Iron color finishes. The soffit above the colonnade uses Dri-Design stainless-steel Taper Series Panels for a fractal mirror effect. About 4,300 square feet of polished stainless-steel Taper Series Panels also were used to create the office building’s soffit.
Dri-Design wall panels are unique because they create a true dry joint pressure equalized rainscreen system. They are not constructed with caulk, sealant or gaskets like competing products, so buildings do not have material stains and streaks. These manufacturing characteristics also add to the sustainability of Dri-Design products. Available in various metal materials, colors, profiles and sizes, Dri-Design’s capabilities are far-reaching. Tapered Series Panels can be angled in any direction with varying depths and degree of slope. This freedom to design each specific panel gives an unlimited capacity to create a dynamic, one-of-a-kind surface.
“The architects were looking for design freedom, and they turned to the right company to achieve that,” say Brad Zeeff, president of Dri-Design. “We work with our customers to create unique panels that provide the perfect appearance by altering the depth, texture, finish or size.”
The only corporate branding requirements for the exterior included a logo and some signage. Kreuger Sheet Metal, Spokane, Wash., served as the metal panel installer. Alex Brandt, a project engineer with Kreuger, appreciated how quickly the panels installed, which was important on a tight deadline. The final result is a downtown destination that brings needed office space, a hotel and underground parking to the area.
Photos by Mark Kempf, St. Louis