The Navy Federal Credit Union is in the middle of a growth spurt that is seeing it build an average of 20 new branches every year. Serving all branches of the U.S. armed forces, along with Department of Defense employees and military veterans, the organization had approximately 8 million customers at the end of 2018. A new branch opened in St. Marys, Ga., is emblematic of the influence Southern coastal design has had on NFCU’s newer facilities in the region.

That regional influence is obvious in the building’s hipped roof featuring broad overhangs, especially along the front elevation. Metal roofing is a classic material in this tradition, and Petersen’s PAC-CLAD panels carry on the tradition for this new branch. Petersen’s products have been specified for a number of NFCU branches in Georgia, North Carolina and Texas.

“We’ve done several roofs for NFCU branches and used PAC-CLAD on all of them,” said John Salo, vice president with Sewanee, Ga.-based installers Saco Systems. “We’ve developed a relationship with Petersen and with the general contractor, who has been building several of these branches over the years. There were a couple years when we did three or four of them.”

Mike Jones, Petersen’s sales/technical representative based in the company’s Acworth, Ga., plant, echoed this theme of partnership. “The design architect is very concerned about proper detailing, and I speak with her once a week when she’s working on a project.”

Specifically, the project incorporates 9,500 sq. ft. of .032-gauge Snap-Clad panels finished in Interstate Blue and 2,000 sq. ft. of 0.32-gauge Flush wall panels finished in Silver. This combination of finishes matches NFCU’s signature corporate color scheme.

Though both panel styles are offered in steel, architects with Inox Design opted for aluminum in this case, because of the material’s resilience against salt spray. St. Marys is located in far southern Georgia, near the Cumberland Island National Seashore, so this is an important design consideration. Like many NFCU branches, this new facility is sited to serve a military base – in this case, both the Kings Bay Base and Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay.

The roof’s varied angles were nothing new for the professionals at Saco Systems. “It was pretty typical for us, in terms of the hips and the valleys,” Salo said. But he still appreciates the attention he said Petersen pays to every project.

“They prepared their details and gave us a complete package of shop drawings,” Salo said. “Petersen is very hands-on, from the moment we bid a project to the moment we clear it out. They’re great to work with.”

Photos: hortonphotoinc.com