Show Your Mettle
METAL MEETS UNIQUE PERFORMANCE AND OCCUPANT STANDARDS
Photo courtesy of Metl-Span
THE ARK AT JOHN F. KENNEDY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Location: John F. Kennedy International Airport, Jamaica, New York
Owner: City of New York, Operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Contractor: Stuart Berger Construction Corp., Lynbrook, New York
Completed: February 2017
Metal Manufacturerv: Metl-Span
The world’s first privately owned animal airport and handling center showcases an IMP building envelope. The ARK at New York City’s John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport sets the standard in world-class, luxury accommodations—not for humans, but for animals. The 178,000-square-foot airside cargo terminal will change the way passengers and corporations transport pets and livestock, particularly dogs, cats, horses, cattle, and birds. The $48-million facility houses nearly 50 horse stalls, a cattle pen, a veterinary clinic, and spa-like facilities to pamper household pets.
Designing interior spaces for animals presented a unique set of challenges to the architectural design team at Gensler of New York. The ARK pet center features grooming stations as well as spaces tailored to the recreation of each species, such as splash pools for dogs and climbing trees for cats. Livestock, however, require a cycle of fresh air constantly, placing an emphasis on adequate ventilation and environmental control.
The ARK replaces a smaller kennel and quarantine facility called VetPort, which suffered from a poor location at JFK some distance away from the heavily traveled terminals. A veteran designer of airports, Bollmann and his team from Gensler targeted an abandoned cargo facility that offered both a convenient location and adequate space.
“The building was to be converted approximately 40 percent into an animal-handling operation, with the balance returned to freight transfer,” says Secretary/Treasurer Bruce Forster of installer Stuart Berger Construction Corp.
While the architectural team initially hoped to repair the existing cladding to make it watertight and improve insulation, Forster “introduced an insulated metal panel solution as a time and cost saver.” His suggestion was to re-skin the vacant hangar with an IMP wall system.
“Gensler specified leaving the existing interlocking panel system in place by adjusting, repairing, and adding similar panels to suit the new layout—then adding an elaborate insulation, framing, and interior finish to meet energy and fire codes,” Forster notes.
Insulated metal wall panels rely on a foam core injected between pre-finished steel faces for thermal efficiency and all-weather control. In contrast, conventional, multicomponent building envelopes address the critical weather barriers with multiple product sources and complex installation steps.
The ARK at JFK showcases nearly 14,000 square feet of insulated metal wall panels in three distinct profiles. The juxtaposition of flat and lightly corrugated exterior panels lends the project a modern, sleek aesthetic that perfectly suits the facility’s end-use: an amalgam of health care, hospitality, and transportation.
“Gensler is accustomed to designing airports with an eye to fostering well-being for people,” says Gensler Senior Associate Cliff Bollmann, director of aviation and transportation. “The ARK at JFK posed a unique design challenge for us: to create a place that could ease and simplify the sometimes complex process of transporting animals by plane.”
Designers incorporated both 2- and 4-inch panel thicknesses for thermal performance in the airside cargo terminal. The exterior of the high-performance building envelope blends Pacific blue with tundra and charcoal gray hues. One of the benefits of the panel’s single-component construction is a finished interior liner. The interior panels, painted in a manufacturer standard finish, are exposed throughout much of the facility, providing a clean, contemporary appearance.
“In this project, the interior liner, high insulation factor, and speed of installation were all favorable attributes of the IMP solution,” Forster says. “The fact that the new panels are a high-performance finish and look great is a bonus. The system also saved money.”
The ARK at JFK also utilizes 5,679 square feet of a manufacturer’s thermal-safe insulated metal wall panels, featuring a noncombustible mineral wool core. The panels achieve a 3-hour fire-resistance rating, helping the design team meet today’s stringent fire codes and bring the 60-year-old cargo facility into the 21st century.
Since its grand opening in early 2017, the ARK at JFK has accommodated travelling animals of all shapes and sizes. Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the facility is the first of its kind and is quickly revolutionizing the process of pet travel.
Weighing the Cost of Metal: performance in the Face of Disaster
Extreme weather such as hurricanes has brought the importance of durability into the calculations for buildings. To maximize its durability and life, a building must be equipped to shield its occupants, from weather, fire, water, high winds, severe storms, and, where applicable, hurricanes and tornadoes.
Photo courtesy of Englert Inc.
The Magdalena Grand Beach Resort in Tobago was built to withstand the natural disasters prone to the island. A metal roof was selected to protect against the extreme uplift caused by hurricane-force winds.
In September 2011, Tropical Storm Lee roared into the Gulf of Mexico and wreaked havoc in states from Louisiana and Mississippi all the way up to Pennsylvania and New York. It caused severe flooding in many of those states and left deep scars on many communities in its wake.
One of those communities was the town of Owego, New York. The county seat of Tioga County, the town of just about 4,000, was hard hit by rising waters brought on by Tropical Storm Lee. The school district was smashed with particular fury. Four of the district’s buildings were completely destroyed by flooding, and others were severely damaged.
When the waters receded, the village pulled together to restore its infrastructure. “After Tropical Storm Lee hit and flood waters destroyed the area, Highland was called by the district to help assess the damage,” recalls David Degnon, senior associate with Highland Associates. “We were on-site within days of the initial flooding, and working hand in hand with the district, FEMA, the New York State Education Department, and the state of New York, we designed three new buildings to replace the four lost to the storm.”
The new facility housing the community’s elementary school was set to be built in the same place as the original, but this time it would be raised above the flood plain in accordance with U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) guidelines to mitigate future potential disasters.
There were four major goals laid out from the beginning of this project. First was to create a space where students could feel safe and comfortable. Second was to design engaging spaces that extend learning beyond the classroom. Third was health and wellness, which meant maximizing daylighting and improving indoor air quality while pursuing a LEED Silver certification. And fourth was to serve the community as a symbol of healing.
The design team selected multiple horizontal metal panels with profiles that resemble residential siding. Sloped metal-panel roofing was selected to resemble the sloped roofs of the surrounding neighborhood. “We also chose flat insulated metal panels for the main entrance and at the classrooms to give the building a distinct, modern feel,” Degnon says. “The range of colors used for the metal panels were dark bronze, blue, and copper. These are all colors that occur in natural bluestone, which is another cladding material commonly used in this area.” A manufacturer’s insulated composite backup panel system provides thermal and moisture performance behind the bulk of the mixed-medium building envelope. The product features integral attachment systems for metal, terra cotta, brick, and other facade materials, making it the perfect solution for mixed-medium exteriors.
“From disaster comes opportunity. The new Owego Elementary School is a state-of-the-art, 124,000-square-foot facility that will serve the community for generations,” Degnon says. “As design professionals, we learned to keep pushing the envelope of possibilities. It is our job to design spaces that evoke emotion. I have seen that emotion on the faces of the children who occupy the school, the faculty and staff who work in the school, and the community members who have visited the school. Highland Associates feels very fortunate to have been part of such a special project.”
Metal brings multiple benefits to the table when thinking about how best to preserve a building in the face of natural disasters. Metal panels can offer completely noncombustible surfaces, superior strength, ductility, and the ability to avoid corrosion and mold.
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