Befitting the form and function of the new $160 million TELUS Spark Science Centre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the project’s architect specified that the sign above the building’s main entrance be faced with metallic-finish aluminum composite material. To ensure that material met the highest standards of quality, the project’s ACM fabricator created the sign’s individual panels from 4mm-thick ALPOLIC/fr material.

ALPOLIC is manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical America Inc. and produced at the company’s Chesapeake, VA manufacturing facility. Two colors of the fire-rated ALPOLIC material were utilized: Champagne Metallic and Silver Metallic.

The TELUS building’s exterior, as designed by Dialog, a Canadian architectural firm, is glass and metal, but arranged in a pattern meant to excite and enthuse visitors. The ACM sign contributes too, with slotted cutouts set at angles to suggest an unclear relationship to one another.

While the previous TELUS Spark building—which was demolished to make way for a new transit station—catered primarily to families with small children, the replacement building is twice the size (153,000 sq. ft.) and is geared for audiences of all ages. In addition to its 10,000 sq. ft. atrium, the building boasts multiple galleries and exhibits, a 240-seat 3D theater and a 10,000 sq. ft. Creative Kids Museum designated for children under nine.

To create the necessary environment, the ground under and around the center was reclaimed to international environmental standards. Receiving LEED Gold certification, the new building is easily accessibly to public transit, contains advanced systems to capture and use storm water in the toilets, and employs radiant heating panels in the floors and ceilings. To compliment the aluminum standing seam roof, the fabricators at Igloo Erectors Ltd. chose ALPOLIC ACM panels, citing the product’s sustainability and large color selection as greatly beneficial.

The project’s general contractor was CANA Management Ltd.