Kids in Bartlesville, Oklahoma have a new place to play and learn. And thanks to insulated metal wall panels from Kingspan, the building looks every bit as fun on the outside as it is on the inside.
The new state-of-the-art C.J. “Pete” Silas Boys & Girls Club serves more than 1,000 kids and teens between the ages of 6 and 18. The $7 million, 30,000 sq. ft. facility includes a teen center, learning centers, a gym, a technology and STEM lab, arts and music spaces and a kitchen.
The eye-catching exterior is constructed from Designwall 2000 architectural wall panels from Kingspan. The project utilizes more than 5,500 square feet of panels in a mixture of colors – Light Gray, Arabian Blue, Deep Sea Blue and Slate Blue - that create an exciting, inviting look designed with its young members in mind.
The new Boys & Girls Club was designed by a local firm, Ambler Architects, who says of the project: “The new building features a bright and modern style that creates an energizing space for the students and teachers who spend their time there.”
The Kingspan panels serve as both exterior and interior walls on portions of the facility, providing a tough interior wall that can withstand the punishment that kids will dish out playing basketball and other sports and activities. It’s not just the metal providing toughness, but the high-tech coatings applied to them are engineered for durability; they can also be easily cleaned.
In addition to sports facilities like the Boys & Girls Club, insulated metal panels are a popular choice for other settings where a strong interior metal wall is needed, like warehouses, manufacturing facilities, food processing facilities, cold storage and airplane hangars. IMPs are typically manufactured from 22, 24 or 26-gauge metal skins. And that toughness inside and out doesn’t mean having to sacrifice when it comes to the design aesthetics, as there are no limits to the architectural options when using IMPs.
The single-panel wall assembly eliminates the need for several steps that would be required using other construction methods - including insulation, interior framing and drywall installation - and eliminates the need for multiple trades. IMPs make for a faster build, and can be installed in any weather. Depending on the job size and complexity, a four-person crew can install up to 5,000 square feet of insulated metal panels in an 8-hour shift when working on an industrial project, and 1,100 square feet in the same time frame on an architectural project. The speed of build helps cut construction time and costs, especially important for a nonprofit like the Boys & Girls Club.
Another advantage of IMPs is that the wall assembly acts as an air, water and vapor barrier, providing continuous insulation and exceptional thermal performance. The high R-values mean better control of heat flowing in and out of the building, reducing energy usage and keeping heating and cooling costs down. Thermal performance is enhanced since there is no metal conductance from exterior to interior facings.
McAnaw Construction Company served as the general contractor on the project, and Vanguard Builder’s Inc. was the metal panel installer.