Metal Sales Manufacturing Corporation, a leading nationwide provider of metal panels for the building and construction industry, supplied 11,500 square feet of sleek custom T16-L horizontal and curved horizontal siding panels to William R. Anton Elementary School in Los Angeles, CA.
The new 98,000 square foot elementary school houses 1,176 students in kindergarten through fifth grade and features 51 classrooms, an outdoor play field and an underground parking structure. The school was built as part of a $20 billion New School Construction and Modernization Program initiated by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) in 1997. This voter-approved program intends to prevent overcrowding and promote sustainable educational facilities. As one of many LAUSD construction projects in recent years, William R. Anton Elementary replaces the nearby 92-year-old Hammel Street Elementary School, which now serves as the site for a new area high school.
Built on 3.2 acres of uneven land, the site’s severely sloped topography presented many challenges for the project team. In order to create both an aesthetically pleasing and hazard-free learning and play environment, the campus was designed vertically, ranging from two to four stories throughout. The linear design of Metal Sales’ panels helped to facilitate this vision on the facility’s façade as well as its external stair enclosure.
“We chose this product for its striking profile,” explained Gregory Serrao, AIA Public Division Director with Nadel Inc., architect of the project. “It has a ribbed but shallow look that nicely contrasts with the rest of the facility. The panels announce the stairs boldly and provide a very unique contour for the façade.”
The building’s façade features 1,260 square feet of T16-L, 20 gauge in Kynar 500® Champagne Gold. The panels accomplish a visually engaging vertical column made up of curved horizontal lines. This construction serves to offset the building’s other materials – primarily plaster and brick – in both color and texture. The project team utilized 10,240 square feet of the same Metal Sales product for the external stair enclosure, but chose not to curve the material in order to create a distinctly different aesthetic while maintaining a marked consistency throughout the building.
“We are very proud of the way our custom panels outfit the school,” said Byron Smith, Regional Vice President – West Region for Metal Sales. “It is always great when we are able to work with the construction team to help carry out their design concept precisely, especially with challenging projects. Everyone is very pleased with the end results.”
The facility was built to meet the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) standards, and employs such features as passive solar shading to help reduce utility costs. Metal Sales’ durable and recyclable panels contribute to the overall sustainability of the structure, which achieved the Pacific Gas & Energy “Savings by Design” performance goal and exceeded California’s Title 24 efficiency standards by 30%.
“We insisted on using Metal Sales panels for this project,” continues Serrao. “We have worked with the company before, and we are continually impressed with the quality product they produce.”
Construction on the facility was completed in September 2009. Project team members include architect Nadel Inc., Los Angeles, CA, general contractor Pinner Construction Company, Inc., Anaheim, CA, installer R & J Sheet Metal, Huntington Beach, CA, and curving vendor Curveline Inc., Ontario, CA.
For more information on Curveline Inc., visit www.curveline.com.