Featured Projects

When Suburban Bank and Trust (SBT), headquartered in Elmhurst, IL, bought a small building for a new branch location the primary challenge was to give it an identity more fitting with the SBT style. The structure was built in the 1970s and needed more than just a new face so the bank called on PPKS Architects, Glen Ellyn, IL for help. The design from PPKS features 1,400 square feet of Kalzip TF37/800R façade system made of 0.040 aluminum with a twin-triangular profile that creates an interesting exterior through an interplay of light and shade across its shape.

Taking a different approach is not new to Mosher, Dolan, Cataldo & Kelly Commercial, a leading Michigan contractor/developer based in Birmingham, near Detroit. Over the last two decades, the firm has made its mark in Southeast Michigan with innovative construction recognized for the finest materials, craftsmanship and attention to detail. When the firm’s partners were ready to try a different approach to steel stud construction on a new multi-use building in Birmingham’s Triangle District, Dow offered a simple solution: the THERMAX™ Total Wall System.

One of the requirements for this Hippocrates Health Institute facility was that the roofing product needed to meet Miami-Dade and Florida state approvals. The 22-sided “circular” structure, located in West Palm Beach, FL, has a conical roof configuration. DECRA Roofing Systems’ Villa Tile stone-coated steel roofing met those requirements, as the panel style of the product performs well in the high wind zone—while also offering outstanding aesthetics and long-life, low-maintenance advantages. Nearly 5,300 sq. ft. of the Venetian Gold colored roofing were used.

M.G. McGrath showed its talents as both a fabricator and installer of metal construction products by virtue of its involvement in the building of the Rockpoint Church in Lake Elmo, MN. In addition to fabricating and installing the project’s aluminum composite wall panels, the Maplewood, MN, firm installed the project’s profiled metal wall panels, metal roof system, soffit panels and screen wall. The church was designed by BWBR Architects of St. Paul, MN, with the Eden Prairie, MN office of JE Dunn Construction handling the general contracting duties. It was completed in December 2007.

Hangar Charlie represents the first step in a multi-phase master plan developed by SPF:a for Maguire Aviation. Maguire is one of five fixed base operators (FBOs) at Van Nuys Airport (VNY), the world’s busiest general aviation airport. The new hangar was constructed with a relatively standard metal building framing system from Butler Manufacturing Co., Kansas City, MO, and was topped with the manufacturer’s standing seam metal roofing. The hangar also features metal wall panels by Metal Sales Manufacturing Corp. of Louisville, KY; and hangar doors by Wilson Doors Inc., Elkhorn, WI.

More than 10,000 sq. ft. of Citadel metal composite material (MCM) panels in two installation systems were used on The Metropolitan Shadyside, a new 42-unit luxury condominium project located in the Shadyside area of Pittsburgh. The distinctive six-story building was crafted to meet the specific needs of high-end condominium buyers. Designed by the Pittsburgh engineering/architectural firm Astorino, The Metropolitan Shadyside utilizes Citadel’s Envelope 2000® Rout and Return (RR) System as well as Citadel’s Reveal (RV) System. The panels were finished in Clear Anodized.

Three types of flexible track products from Flex-Ability Concepts were used in the high-tech modernization of Terminal B at Newark (NJ) Liberty International Airport. The modernization strategy called for turning a former ground floor parking area—which was taken out of service as a security measure after the 911 World Trade Center attack—into a 70,000 sq. ft. baggage claim space for domestic arrivals. The improvements in Terminal B are part of an overall $279 million renovation of the entire terminal to accommodate growing passenger volume.

The Ultimate Soccer Arenas Complex's enormous size is not the only feature that sets this 267,000-square-foot arena apart from the rest. It was constructed, from the first beam to finishing exterior touches, in just 88 days. The speedy construction process can be attributed to the use of pre-engineered metal framing. The structure was built by Michigan-based Wolverine Steel Erectors, Inc. with materials supplied by Varco Pruden Buildings, one of the nation's largest providers of metal building system and a division of BlueScope Buildings North America, Inc.

The Urban Plains Center and Tournament Facility in Fargo, ND, is a 15-acre, $44 million construction project that began June 2007. The single-rink facility was completed in the fall of 2008 with the four-rink facility planned for 2009. The facility has five arenas with ice sheets; 37 locker rooms; 40 luxury suites; 300 club seats; main arena capacities of 6,000 for basketball/volleyball and 5,000 for hockey; a tournament facility that will seat approximately 2,000 for basketball or volleyball and 1,600 for hockey – with three other tournament facilities that seat approximately 800 each. Ceco Building Systems supplied custom-engineered framing for the project.

Located on the campus of Augsburg College in the heart of Minneapolis, MN, Oren Gateway Center is a building of many purposes. In addition to providing trendy loft-style housing for more than 100 students, the 118,000 sq. ft. structure is a campus gathering spot where students study, eat, meet and learn. The building was designed by BWBR Architects of St. Paul, MN. For its exterior the firm used a blend of glass and metal in the form of aluminum composite panels, flat seam wall panels and perforated screenwalls, all fabricated and installed by M.G. McGrath Inc. of Maplewood, MN.

Dri-Design’s proprietary copper anodized panels highlight the new 47-story Parkview West condominiums near Lake Michigan in Chicago. More than 33,000 sq. ft. of .063" aluminum Dri-Design panels complement the building's curved glass façade and masonry accents. The Dri-Design Wall Panel System is a patented, pressure-equalized rainscreen system known for its economy. The copper anodized panels chosen for this project are part of Dri-Design’s Specialty Series and provide the metallic quality of copper with an extremely hard and long-lasting finish. The panels will not patina.

Since 1860, CONSOL Energy has met the country’s energy needs by developing vital coal resources. The new corporate headquarters building in Canonsburg, PA is designed to reflect CONSOL’s evolution from a single-fuel mining company into an innovative, world-class producer of both high-BTU coal and gas. More than 36,000 sq. ft. of Citadel Envelope 2000® Rout & Return System metal composite material (MCM) panels were used to help create the desired image.

Woven metal mesh from Cambridge Architectural dresses the lobby and adjacent interior public spaces in Philadelphia's impressive new Comcast Center. The 975-foot tall, glass-encased high-rise – the city’s tallest building – is also the nation’s tallest green office building. Designed to achieve LEED certification from the USGBC, architects and engineers sought out sustainable building elements for every square foot of the structure. To that end, the mesh was a perfect fit and an ideal complement to the lobby's centerpiece, a 2,100 sq. ft. high definition video wall dubbed "The Comcast Experience".

An 18,000 sq. ft. kidney dialysis center and doctors’ office complex in Westminster, CO features an entranceway clad with Omega-Lite® ACM panels from Laminators Inc. The 2,010 sq ft of Bright Silver Omega-Lite panels utilized on the project were supplied by Riddell and Company of Englewood, CO. The panels were fabricated on-site and installed by Sondrup Sheet Metal using color matched reveal moldings.

The new Sunrise Mainline Toll Plaza on the Sawgrass Expressway west of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, represents a transformation of the aging expressway to a “highway of tomorrow.” The $26 million design/build project offers the first open road tolling (ORT) in south Florida, using a double-span signature gantry for collection of tolls from high-speed vehicles. The toll plaza utilizes approximately 11,000 sq. ft. of PAC-CLAD .032” corrugated aluminum panels from Petersen Aluminum Corp. The 7/8” panels were finished in Silver Metallic. In addition, 5,400 sq. ft. of .125 plate aluminum was custom perforated and spray coated.

Located in Clifton Park, NY, the 55,000 sq. ft. Clifton Park Halfmoon Library is a model of environmentally advanced architecture and was designed to capture energy savings in the millions of dollars. The $15 million facility was built with a grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, and was designed and built with the environment foremost in mind, notes library officials. Among its many sustainable elements is its 9,000 sq. ft. Englert standing seam metal roof.

The ornate design of the new Lin’s Asian Buffet in Oklahoma City, OK, relies heavily on complex radius theme elements utilizing approximately 1,200 feet of Flex-C Trac® and Flex-C Arch flexible framing products from Flex-Ability Concepts. Elaborate arches and circular ceiling applications are a trademark interior look for the Texas-based chain of restaurants. Flex-C Trac was also used to frame the curved exterior roof edges that helped create a pagoda-like appearance.

When officials at the non-profit Greater Sudbury Housing Corporation (GSHC) wanted to reduce energy consumption at their largest building, they charged Richard Munn, manager of technical services, with determining the best course of action. Though there were many options that would've provided the desired result, most were cost prohibitive. One that wasn't was SolarWall®, a transpired solar-collecting metal wall panel system that delivers naturally warmed air directly into the building's ventilation system.

The Utility Line Building is not the most imposing structure on the Northeast Community College campus in Norfolk, Nebraska, but it is one of the most interesting. The 36,800-square-foot facility houses the only indoor utility pole setting lab in the U.S., allowing students to learn year-round the skills required to do work for power and utility companies. Norfolk-based Crafts Inc., an independent authorized Varco Pruden Builder, was the general contractor. Crafts Inc. used a wide variety of VP products, including the pre-engineered metal frame.

To deliver a look consistent with the dealership’s desired image, Commercial Building Services of Loveland, CO, specified 6,700 sq. ft. of Laminators Inc. Omega-Lite® ACM (aluminum composite material) wall panels in a Bright Silver PDVF paint finish for the exterior of the new Heritage Ford Lincoln Mercury showroom in Loveland. A design build contractor, Commercial Building Services also fabricated the panels at the job site and then attached them using Laminators’ patented Clip & Caulk installation system with contrasting black caulk.