Show Your Mettle
RESILIENCE, DESIGN FLEXIBILITY, AND MULTICOMPONENT SYSTEM BRING IMPS TO THE TOP
Photo courtesy of Metl-Span
LIBERTY UNIVERSITY INDOOR FOOTBALL PRACTICE FACILITY
Location: Lynchburg, Virginia
Owner: Liberty University
Contractor: W.H. Stovall & Co., Ashland, Virginia
Completed: August 2017
Metal Manufacturer: Metl-Span
The Liberty University athletic staff and student-athletes had a great deal to celebrate with the ribbon-cutting ceremony of their spacious new Indoor Football Practice Facility in August 2017. The $29-million, 95,000-square-foot structure represents not only a substantial recruitment tool and commitment to the success of the Lynchburg, Virginia-based university football program, but it is also the next step in a two-year proposal to reclassify Liberty University as a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) team, joining the ranks of the NCAA’s top tier of competition.
The design by Liberty University and VMDO Architects called for a 70-foot dome ceiling with clearance for booming punts and kickoffs, along with a full-size AstroTurf practice field. Of course, the benefit of an indoor practice facility is the team’s ability to take the field despite inclement weather. The designers at VMDO turned to an IMP system to meet the all-weather performance requirements.
Liberty University President Jerry Falwell says, “I can’t tell you how excited I am. It has not been too many years ago that the FBS seemed like something that would happen in the next generation, and an indoor football practice facility was something that we would only dream about. I thought it would be a long time coming, so to see it actually being finished this quickly is beyond exciting. It is really going to take our football program to another level.”
The new indoor practice facility’s building envelope features more than 70,000 square feet of architectural IMPs, with a 22-gauge steel facer (exterior) and a 24-gauge steel liner (interior). Specified in the profile’s maximum thickness of 4 inches, the system offers an R-value of 32.5.
The crux of the IMP system is the thermal efficiency it offers via polyurethane insulation. The panels provide thermal efficiency and all-weather control in a single component. IMPs provide roughly three times the insulation value of field-assembled glass-fiber systems, and the insulation minimizes building energy usage and construction costs. Conventional, multicomponent building envelopes address the critical weather barriers with multiple product sources and installation steps, leading to a complex wall assembly and lengthy construction schedules. IMPs provide the same performance elements in a single component.
“There is definitely an advantage in the speed of construction when building with insulated metal panels, and this benefits budget and schedule,” says architect Andres Pacheco, senior associate with VMDO. “The speed of construction allowed the contractor to enclose the building sooner and use the interior area as the staging patio.”
According to Jack Eaton, estimator with Ashland, Virginia-based W.H. Stovall & Co., the firm that installed the project’s IMP building envelope, the project’s fast-track construction schedule benefited greatly from the IMP system’s quick installation time.
“We have nothing but positive reactions to date,” Eaton says. “The building owner loves the finished project and the fact that we finished on time, even after they took a few weeks off the original schedule.”
IMPs offer a unique combination of aesthetic design options, including mitered panel edges, flatness, and a vast array of profiles, textures, and reveal configurations. The selected flat wall profiles are ideally suited for designers seeking a monolithic architectural facade without sacrificing performance elements. The beautiful, flush panels have become a mainstay in projects in a number of high-end architectural markets. Located at the northeast end of Williams Stadium, the facility towers over the adjacent Football Operations Center as one of several recent additions to the growing Liberty University campus. The new Indoor Football Practice Facility’s modern metal aesthetic blends the old and the new.
“The goal was to land on a design that would look good over the entire lifetime of the project, not something that would look dated a decade from now,” Eaton adds.
The practice facility has already become a major athletics hub at Liberty University. More than a dozen collegiate and club teams are able to take advantage of the indoor space each week. A number of additional campus improvements are also underway, including a new academic complex and a natatorium with an eight-lane, 50-meter pool and a full complement of springboards and platforms. Currently under construction, the natatorium also will feature IMP cladding.
Weighing the Cost of Metal: Initial Advantages
As soon as it arrives on-site, metal is already helping keep costs in check. Though initially higher in price to purchase than some entry-level materials, metal roof and wall systems can help lower construction, operating, maintenance, and LCCs.
Metal lends itself to modular construction and its accompanying expedited construction benefits. Nothing quite compares to witnessing a building take shape within a matter of weeks, along with concomitant lower costs and speed to occupancy. Compared to other materials such as brick or concrete, metal roofing and walls are relatively lightweight, providing less of an impact on the load-bearing foundations. Installation is much quicker than with other heavier and bulkier wall materials, resulting in significant labor and scheduling savings, and potentially reducing structural framing requirements. This can reduce labor costs, minimize construction delays, and get the building closed-in quickly.
In addition, metal roofs and walls can be erected even in inclement weather conditions, allowing construction to proceed regardless of the season and enabling contractors to move forward with interior work.
Photo courtesy of 3A Composites USA Inc.
STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY NOBEL HALLS
Metal offers a suite of benefits that deploy as soon as it arrives on-site. It is quicker to install than other materials and is not subject to weather delays, allowing for projects to stay on schedule.
Where composite or IMP products are selected, building teams can cash in on additional construction benefits. IMPs install in one step, creating a finished wall, insulation, and liner, thereby allowing the construction team to dry-in the building faster than with conventional construction methods. As opposed to conventional stud construction, for example, which requires contractors to wait for multiple trades to install sheathing, building wrap, and insulation prior to interior finishing, IMPs offer a one-shot building enclosure installation, significantly shortening project schedules and construction expenses, states Don Olsen, vice president of operations with the Hartland, Wisconsin-based A/E firm ESI Design Services.
Under research conducted by the Metal Construction Association (MCA) and published in its Selection Guide for Insulated Metal Panels, IMPs can be erected at a rate of up to 5,000 square feet per 8-hour shift by a four-person crew on an industrial project, and up to 1,100 square feet per 8-hour shift by a four-person crew on an architectural project.
Unlike some cladding materials, IMPs can be installed year round, even in adverse weather conditions.
“One of the major advantages of IMPs is that they typically do not need extensive backup walls or support system assemblies, while still meeting code requirements,” adds Deniz Ferendeci, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, director of building services, Dyer Brown, Boston. “The majority of these products are self-supporting, which means installation is faster and less complicated.” IMPs perform triple duty as air and water barriers with insulation, helping them survive the value-engineering process.
Speed of build is a major advantage of metal. Building with metal takes less time to construct, and less time equals lower costs.
Additionally, using metal reaps immediate dividends when it comes to building insurance. The cost of risk insurance for metal buildings during construction is half that of other building materials because there is less risk of fire damage. Insurance may also be less after completion.
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