This course is part of the Metal Architecture Academy

Photo: Robert Stefanowicz

Great Northern Way Pavilion, Vancouver, British Columbia.

The prefabricated design of metal panels has a huge advantage over other building materials during the construction stage at the jobsite, specifically in terms of reducing jobsite waste and positively impacting construction schedules. As the previous sections have shown, metal walls and roofs offer many significant benefits when used in commercial construction projects. But these attributes also must support both the architect’s and client’s vision for the aesthetics of a building design, and metal panels and roofs do exactly that. There’s a reason why so many innovative, award-winning buildings feature metal panels and roofs; the products lend themselves to spectacular designs that feature vibrant colors, sleek exteriors, and unique panel shapes, all while contributing to the overall sustainability of the structure.

Reducing Jobsite Waste: Aesthetics in Metal Panels and Roofs

In addition to providing products for innovative, aesthetically interesting designs, metal roof and panel systems add another level of sustainability to construction projects. Products such as IMPs and MCMs, as well as other metal panels can be customized for the project, cut to specific lengths, and include prefabricated connections. Prefabricated products tend to generate less waste than those which require on-site fabrication, reducing landfill burden. From a sustainability perspective, reduced jobsite waste contributes to a lower carbon footprint.

Customized, Cut-to-Length Pieces

Compared to other building materials such as wood, engineered wood products, or concrete, prefabricated and cut-to-length metal panels can be easily installed as is, with little or no need to modify anything on the construction site. This alone reduces jobsite waste and limits it to product packaging. Customized pieces also save a lot of time on the jobsite, and that can save money through more controlled project scheduling, and shorter installation times.

Prefabricated Hardware

Hardware needed for panel connections is also prefabricated, so everything that construction site workers need to install the metal roof or wall system should be delivered to the site ready to use. Metal roofing distributors are increasingly incorporating storefronts so supplemental materials can be acquired locally. This in turn makes installation relatively quick and easy, and it minimizes human error, and possible injury, on the jobsite.

An added benefit to having prefabricated panels and connections ready to go at the jobsite is that, compared to projects that use other materials, there tends to be more predictable scheduling. Metal panel systems aren’t as susceptible to the weather, accidents, and miscuts that delay other projects.

Factory Painting: Performance and HSW

Exterior finish is an important aesthetic and performance feature of metal panel systems. Panels are treated with reflective coatings or vibrantly colored paints that stand out as a trademark look.

Boosting the sustainability of metal panels is the way paints and finishes are applied in a factory instead of outdoors. This avoids onsite painting, reduces health and safety issues, captures and treats emissions and particulate matter inside a manufacturing facility, and increases paint performance.

Building Operation Costs: Energy-Efficiency Savings

Metal wall and roof systems contribute significantly to a building’s performance and limit operational costs. Metal roofs are highly energy efficient, thanks to their reflective properties at IR wavelengths. While other materials, such as shingles, are susceptible to UV degradation, metal is virtually unimpacted, reflecting them at lower wavelengths. When combined with insulation embedded in the metal panel or between the metal and the building, metal roofs can keep a building cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. This translates into significant savings in heating and cooling costs. Residential properties can save 10-25 percent of energy costs. Commercial properties with large-span roofs save less percentage-wise, but gross savings can be in the thousands of dollars per year because of their size.

A Library Built to Inspire: Colbern Library Center

Photo: Michael Robinson Photography; courtesy of Sherwin Williams

MCPL Colbern Library incorporates architectural metals to build a stunning exterior. The architect envisioned paper airplanes inspired by the idea of children passing notes to transfer knowledge, and only metal could showcase the look.

Location: Lee's Summit, Missouri
Project: Mid-Continent Public Library (MCPL) Colbern Road Library Center, 2020

Modern library design has gone through many phases, with late 19th-century classic structures funded by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie built across the U.S. and Canada. These buildings inspired a sense of respect for knowledge and learning before a patron even walked through the door. Throughout the 20th century, library designs became more utilitarian and less aesthetically interesting. Recent trends in library renovations have moved back to inspiring design but with an eye on the future. Modern libraries serve as community center hubs and places where knowledge transfer happens, and architects are once again creating designs that make people think.

The MCPL Colbern Road Library in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, originally opened in 1993 with an unassuming design: one floor with natural brick walls and almost no natural light. When the library was initially slated for remodeling and expansion to include updated technology, the design team brainstormed what the space could be if they had the flexibility to create an entirely new building. This brainstorming exercise resulted in using the basic idea of knowledge transfer as the foundation for the design, as in folded paper notes from childhood. The folded paper concept eventually morphed into using angular paper airplane forms both in the exterior design as well as an interior feature to represent information transfer.

The Colbern Branch Library showcases the beauty of metal construction with whimsical, slender triangles that appear to be paper airplanes pointing up and down along the rooftop wall facade. Metal was the only material that could meet the requirements of mimicking folded paper while providing durable, sustainable protection against the elements.

The variety of shapes and finishes provided by prefabricated metal panels helped the architects realize their vision, enabled efficient installation, and reduced construction waste on the jobsite. The 33,527-square-foot building presents a stunning metal and glass exterior with a bright and airy interior easily visible from the outside.

Libraries are one of the largest built systems in the United States, and as branches are renovated, they are designed to embody the future as community hubs.