With the intent of eliminating the boundaries between the natural landscaping and a new school building, the design of Kimball Elementary School in Seattle included flush metal panels from The Bryer Company.
“The main goal of the project is to create an urban oasis by embracing mature tree groves around the site,” said Bingram Lai, AIA, of NAC Architecture of Seattle. “The gentle siting of the new school minimizes the disturbance to the
existing natural amenity and enhances the human experiences with the surroundings.”
The Bryer Company, a regional component panel manufacturer in Auburn, Wash., supplied flush panels in two colors to assist in the design goals. Bryer’s 22-gauge TBC Flush Panels were installed on the exterior façades of Kimball Elementary
in FX Desert Rust (27,000 square feet) and PVDF Dark Bronze (11,000 square feet).
“The ultimate palette of the exterior cladding materials, including the masonry and metal panels, has an earthy and warm tone to blend in with the surrounding trees,” Lai said. “Horizontal flashing bands and subtly shaped façades
facing the streets help break down the scale of the building. The new school provides a strong civic presence and blends well with the topography. The users love the new school. As the teachers say, ‘Every classroom feels like a tree house’.”
For Bryer, it was one of the first major projects to unveil the company’s Natural FX colors.
“We were excited to partner with NAC Architecture and the Seattle School District to bring this project to life,” said Peter Tuininga, Vice President/General Manager at Bryer. “Having the opportunity to showcase our Natural FX colors
on such an impressive scale was a huge bonus. The new patterned color palette is a distinct departure from the typical solid colors and really allows single-skin metal siding to become a major showpiece driving the project aesthetic. The Kimball School
included some tough challenges, but seeing the completed project made it all worthwhile.”
The metal panel installer was Northshore Exteriors, Everett, Wash.