The beauty of Contrarian Metal Resources’ InvariMatte-finish stainless steel is evident in the design of a curved concourse at the Education and Conference Center of Fletcher Allen Health Center in Burlington, VT. It features approximately 60,000 sq. ft. of the exterior wall panels and standing seam roofing formed from the material.
The glass and metal concourse links the Health Center with its affiliated University and provides easy access to an outdoor courtyard and the campus’ walking paths. Jim Halliday, Contrarian Metal Resources’ president, said InvariMatte’s low reflectivity finish makes it an excellent choice for this type of project. “InvariMatte allows architects and designers to specify the sleek metal finish they desire without concern for maintenance or high levels of reflectivity on sunny days,” he noted.
The concourse was constructed in 2005 as a part of the Fletcher Allen Health Center Renaissance Project. Major components of the project included an ambulatory care center, new education and conference center, and an underground parking garage. Fletcher Allen is an academic medical center in alliance with the University of Vermont College of Medicine. Featuring a cancer center, heart center and women’s center, it serves a population of one million in Vermont and northern New York.
InvariMatte is a non-directional, low gloss, uniformly textured stainless steel finish designed for use in architectural applications. While its lower reflectivity lends itself to roofing applications, it can be applied to wall panels, coping and trim. The superb consistency of this finish results in excellent panel-to-panel matching. And since InvariMatte has no coatings to deteriorate, it will last indefinitely with little maintenance. InvariMatte is readily welded or soldered and is available in coils and cut lengths up to 288”, in widths ranging from 0.75” to 49”. Because stainless steel is dimensionally stable up to 2000-degrees Fahrenheit, InvariMatte provides an added measure of protection in the event of a fire.
Tsoi/Kobus & Associates, Cambridge, MA, and Freeman, French, Freeman, Burlington, VT, served as the project’s architects and Kalkreuth Roofing & Sheet Metal, Wheeling, WV, fabricated and installed the panels.