The Creative Technology Accelerator is not only the first building in Dayton’s technology park known as Tech Town, but it is also the City of Dayton’s first LEED Gold building. The 42,000 sq. ft. high-tech facility will house companies developing business in advanced technology sectors. How appropriate then that the building is clad in part with an advanced technology product—a patented dry joint, pressure-equalized rainscreen system from Dri-Design. Approximately 10,000 sq. ft. of the .063” aluminum panels are featured on the building, in Sherwood Green, Sandstone and Patina Green colors.
The $9.1 million, three-story facility is located on a previous brownfield site. Design for the project was provided by The Architectural Group, Inc., Dayton. “Because of the name of the facility and the fact that it was the first building in Tech Town, we wanted to create a look that would make a splash and yet be cost effective,” according to Dianna Conboy, principal and project architect. One of the characteristics of the Dri-Design system is its cost relative to other rainscreen systems.
The design team worked closely with the Dri-Design distributor/installer, Spohn Associates, to determine a panel module that would be the most efficient. “We knew we wanted a rainscreen system that would offer ‘off-the-shelf’ panel sizes that wouldn’t require excessive labor,” Conboy said. “We settled on the 24” x 42” Dri-Design module and designed the structural grid around it. It was a very cost effective installation.”
Spohn Associates’ project manager was Don Allen. “Going with a typical panel size is a definite benefit for the installer,” Allen said. “We also installed the panels in a segmented radius area on one elevation. The job really went well and provides a great look.”
The general contractor on the project was Messer Construction, Dayton.
Dri-Design panels can be made from a variety of materials including painted aluminum, zinc, copper and stainless steel and are 100% recyclable. Panels are available in any Kynar color in both standard and custom sizes.