A Special Note on Combustibility

Fire has become a bigger concern for today’s buildings. New fire codes and standards are being strictly enforced in more and more areas.

Virtually every building, process, service, design, and installation is affected by the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA’s) codes and standards. NFPA standards reflect changing industry needs and evolving technologies, supported by research and development, and practical experience.

For exterior assemblies, like metal panels, NFPA 285: Standard Fire Test Method for Evaluation of Fire Propagation Characteristics of Exterior Wall Assemblies Containing Combustible Components is the governing regulation. This standard provides a test method for determining the fire propagation characteristics of exterior wall assemblies and panels used as components of curtain-wall assemblies that are constructed using combustible materials or that incorporate combustible components.

NFPA 285 is used to evaluate the fire propagation characteristics of exterior wall assemblies and panels used as components of curtain-wall assemblies, as specified in the following: first, the ability of the wall assembly to resist flame propagation over the exterior face of the wall assembly; second, the ability of the wall assembly to resist vertical flame propagation within the combustible components from one story to the next; third, the ability of the wall assembly to resist vertical flame propagation over the interior surface of the wall assembly from one story to the next; and fourth, the ability of the wall assembly to resist lateral flame propagation from the compartment of fire origin to adjacent compartments or spaces.

Meeting Codes with Single-Skin Metal Panels

Single-skin metal panels offer distinct advantages for buildings looking to satisfy multiple code requirements. Single-skin metal panels are carefully manufactured, created without ACM, MCM, or any composite materials. This makes the panels noncombustible, unlike plastic-cored products, and NFPA 285 compliant. Certain manufacturers’ single-skin metal panels are fully tested to exceed ASTM standards and the latest AAMA 508-07 for pressure-equalized rainscreens. The interlocking panel design makes installation quick and easy; it also means no hidden sealants or tapes are used to pass testing certification. Certain single-skin metal panels, such as panels with an aluminum plate thickness of 0.080 inch, satisfy the test methods and performance requirements of Florida Building Code and Miami-Dade County test protocols.

CASE STUDY: AMERICAN AGCREDIT, SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA

Photo: David Wakely; courtesy of Dri-Design, Inc.

The energy-efficient headquarters of American AgCredit in Santa Rosa, California, uses colored zinc as the metal material.

American AgCredit’s new headquarters in Santa Rosa, California, speaks to the company’s ever-growing, ever-changing business model. The energy-efficient building, designed by TLCD Architecture of Santa Rosa, is distinctive for its curved forms and natural materials. Perforated single-skin metal wall panels, made from zinc, add a timeless warmth, durability, and beauty. Located in the Airport Business Center, the three-story building is composed of two curving segments, creating an oval courtyard in the middle. The exterior, a mix of glass and perforated zinc, was designed to enhance the work environment and highlight the surrounding views.

“The zinc is perforated to create a veil that wraps playfully around the building to allow views of the gorgeous Sonoma County landscape and creates a screen that modulates the sun, providing efficiency and comfort for the users,” says Jeff Blechel, an architect with TLCD Architecture.

The 1-millimeter perforated wall panels are made from VMZINC Pigmento Red, a colored zinc. The perforated style provides necessary airflow and shade to the structure without sacrificing style or design. Virtually any shape and pattern can be perforated into the panels and used for a myriad of applications.

“We selected the manufacturer for its panel fabrication technology, including customization and coordination of panel bending and perforation,” Blechel says. “Also, the manufacturer’s fastening system allowed the material to be adapted to curvilinear forms.”

Architectural Metal of Hopland, California, installed 48,198 square feet of single-skin metal panels for the project. Dave Roderick, president of Architectural Metal, says, “The walls on this building were curved on a radius, so the layout had to be precise. The panels had to be fastened to the arc in segments of 6 feet and aligned with the windows.”

Sustainable materials and daylighting play a major role in creating a light-filled, healthy work environment. Daylight harvesting systems reduce the amount of electric lighting used in the building; roller shade systems change positions during the day to reduce glare; a displacement ventilation system chills outside air and distributes it through under floor plenum to individual air diffusers; and a sound-making system optimizes acoustics. Zinc adds to the efficiency of the headquarters with its innate characteristics. Zinc lasts longer than other building materials because of its natural protective layers that are developed over time. At the end of its use on a building, zinc can be recycled indefinitely.

DIGGING DEEPER: THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROFILE OF SINGLE-SKIN METAL PANELS

Single-skin metal panels provide both a natural and highly customizable solution for the design professional. With diverse aesthetics, design capabilities, and performance opportunities, they bolster a building’s performance, visual appeal, and life cycle. Yet having both form and function falls slightly short of the high bar set for modern materials. The best material must also be sustainable and environmentally appropriate.

Single-skin metal panels answer the need for sustainability—naturally. Metal is a 100 percent natural and recyclable product. Often, panels are manufactured from recycled and repurposed metal. Panels are produced quickly with highly automated equipment, avoiding unnecessary energy costs. No plastic is involved in the production of single-skin metal panels, saving dramatically on fossil fuels.

Leading manufacturers produce panels domestically and purchase metal from domestic mills, which saves transportation energy costs. Certain single-skin metal panel systems use no silicone sealants, joint sealants, or gaskets, which are made with petroleum. This offers further savings of fossil fuels and on future maintenance costs. Certain manufacturers offer finish systems that produce no VOCs. Kynar paint providers are environmentally conscious finishers. They use a 100 percent air capture system and destroy the VOCs with a regenerative thermal oxidizer so there is no adverse environmental impact.

Photo courtesy Dri-Design, Inc.

The Wellness & Aquatic Center at Southwestern College in Chula Vista, California, features a dramatic application of single-skin metal panels incorporating various colors and image technology.

WHERE FORM AND FUNCTION MEET: SINGLE-SKIN METAL PANELS

Today’s innovations in single-skin panels are designed to overcome shortfalls in older methods of exterior metal panel systems, including delamination, staining due to the effects of weather on joint sealants and gaskets, rising costs of production, inefficient installation practices, and a general lack of color, texture, and design options.

Using a natural material with simple design and having new objectives about the way a system could perform, both at the time of installation and for decades later, gave birth to leading single-skin metal panel technology. That vision results in a material fully meeting both form and functional requirements: a highly customizable, 100 percent recyclable, pressure-equalized rainscreen, architectural metal wall system that attaches to nearly any substrate without the use of clips or extrusions, manufactured efficiently and designed to install faster than any comparable product, saving time and money. Leading single-skin metal panels are designed to pass the most stringent air, water, and structural testing requirements in the industry, including the AAMA 508-07 test for pressure-equalized rainscreens as well as Miami-Dade County hurricane testing.

Amanda Voss, MPP, is an author, editor, and policy analyst writing for multiple industry publications and teaching live continuing education courses.