The new Escambia County Central Office Complex in Pensacola, FL became the first government project in Escambia County to qualify for LEED status when it was completed in the summer of 2010. The 79,000 sq. ft. facility houses departments responsible for building inspections, environmental enforcement, fire safety, animal control, engineering and transportation services. Previously, these departments were located in three separate buildings.
Approximately 30,000 sq. ft. of 24 gauge unpainted Galvalume Plus Snap-Clad Panels and Flush Panels from Petersen were utilized on the structure with the primary design objective being sustainability. The Galvalume Plus offers a recycle content of 32.7% of which 25.5% is post-consumer. The building also features an extensive 33,000 sq. ft. vegetative roof system which is believed to be the largest of its kind in Florida. These factors contributed to the project earning LEED Gold certification.
Design for the project was provided by Bay Design Associates Architects, Pensacola. “It was a tight budget and the county wanted the most cost efficient building possible with the least maintenance,” said Steve Jernigan, FAIA, project architect.
The design team did a thorough analysis of various exterior skins including brick, ACM, hard-coat stucco, etc. “We concluded that the unfinished snap seam panel best met our requirements,” Jernigan said. “It was quick from a construction standpoint and offered low maintenance and a high recycled content. The cost was definitely attractive too.”
Jernigan also said that the Petersen profiles were in keeping with the aesthetics that Bay Design wanted. “It’s a functional building housing construction and building related departments of Escambia County. The look and feel just seems right for those types of entities,” said Jernigan. “And since the building is not particularly tall, the ribbed panels gave us nice verticality along with dimension and shadow patterns.”
Jernigan reports that the design team worked closely with West Coast Roofing in Milton, FL, the installer of the Petersen panels. “They were extremely helpful in making sure we had all of the detailing done properly. They made numerous mock-ups of various trim details for our review,” Jernigan said.
According to Brad Davis of West Coast Roofing, “The greatest challenge was definitely the flashing details—the side walls, head walls, seal conditions. It was an interesting project. Everything was field verified and every wall was hand measured. The whole building is metal and it has a really clean look. We get compliments on it all the time. And we’re in the building a lot because that’s where we go to get our permits!”
The Petersen distributor on the project was Roofers Mart, Pensacola.