The project manager for glass and glazing subcontractor Alliance Glass & Metals, Romeoville, IL, wanted a panel system that his crew could install along with the glazing and curtainwall on the new Wickes Furniture project on Elston Avenue in Chicago. The patented Dri-Design® dry joint, pressure-equalized rainscreen system was selected to meet that objective, with more than 2,600 sq. ft. of .080"-thick aluminum panels ultimately used. The panels feature an Arcadia Green paint finish.

According to John Woodyatt, Alliance project manager, “The original design called for the use of ACM panels. But we were concerned about controlling the schedule of the ACM installation. With the panels being above and between our storefronts, we made the decision early on that we wanted to keep as much of the installation under our wing as possible. The Dri-Design system tied in well with the glazing and curtainwall and our guys handled the installation beautifully. We had much better control over our labor. It really worked out well.”

The Wickes project was Alliance’s first use of the Dri-Design system. “We’ll definitely use it again,” Woodyatt said. “We like it. We feel the system offers our customers a lot of advantages over the course of time because there really is minimal maintenance and upkeep. From an installation standpoint, the manufacturer-provided instructions were clear and easy to understand. We had very little field modification.”

Design for the project was provided by Amstadter Architects, Chicago. General contractor was Graycor Construction Company, Homewood, IL.

Dri-Design panels can be made from a variety of materials including painted aluminum, zinc, copper and stainless steel. Panels are available in any Kynar color in both standard and custom sizes.