ZINC PANELS HELPS TRANSFORM OLD STORAGE FACILITY INTO A MODERN OFFICE SPACE

Photos courtesy of Roof Hugger

One of the city’s first LEED-NC Gold buildings and winner of numerous prestigious awards for both design and green building, a striking new perforated and corrugated zinc facade rejuvenates an old bottle-storage facility at 355 11^th Street in San Francisco.

Turning an early 1900s bottle-storage facility for an adjacent brewery into a three-story, 14,000-square-foot, multi-tenant workspace, perforated, corrugated zinc panels now clad the modern building at 355 11^th Street in San Francisco.

For the LEED-NC Gold-certified building, zinc was selected for its affordable, workable, and durable qualities, in addition to its longevity, low maintenance, and rich, natural finish.

“It had the right look and matched the building’s original tin panel. It also doesn’t require painting, ever—a huge benefit,” relates Peter Kellner, senior project manager, Matarozzi/Pelsinger Builders, San Francisco, the contractor on the project.

At the same time, converting the historic space into an office building came with a number of challenges.

“Because of the building’s historic status, the city’s planning department placed strict limitations on the introduction of new fenestration,” explains Shane Curnyn, project architect, Aidlin Darling Design, San Francisco. “Moreover, the building’s original corrugated siding was required to be replaced ‘in-kind’ to preserve the industrial character of the building.”

In order to create a breathable envelope that allows light and air to pass through the newly installed, and hidden, operable windows, old corrugated, galvanized, mild steel panels were replaced with the perforated zinc ones that were set in front of, rather than flush to, the windows.

By varying the size of the perforations and fluctuating the panels’ transparency between 4 percent and 40 percent, this creates a rich texture and eye-catching aesthetic.

Furthermore, “the perforated panels reduce solar loads and enable cross-ventilation of the interior,” explains Curnyn, and the double-skin facade works to maintain the character of the original building.

Customized CNC milling was utilized to create a seamless, building-scale gradient across the entire facade. The result is a smooth gradient that reveals both the reflections of the glass during the day and the glow of the interior at night, according to Curnyn.

In addition, the zinc envelope helps maintain a monolithic facade by disguising the windows, reduces solar heat gain by providing shade for the southwest windows, enables cross-ventilation and passive cooling, hides unsightly views of the adjacent buildings, and reveals the historic structure.

As an added bonus, in the evening hours, the zinc skin reveals the modern facade and historic post-and-beam interior structure.

MODULAR METAL BREATHES NEW LIFE INTO TIRED FACADE

Photo courtesy of ATAS International, Inc.

Insulated metal panels with a rainscreen design deliver a high-performance enclosure for this adaptive reuse project for Lafayette College in Eaton, Pennsylvania.

In designing Acuity Brands new Engineering and Technology Center, the architectural team was charged with transforming a dull brick exterior into an entry point projecting an image of cutting edge and innovation. The answer was a sleek new silver metal facade.

“The Acuity executive management team challenged me to create a truly world-class facility that would provide a new, dynamic work environment and change the exterior appearance of the dated facility,” reports Robb Allen, founder/president, Clear Stream Studio, Atlanta.

In selecting a new metal cladding system for the building envelope, the selected system’s quick lead time and installation enabled an extremely efficient reclad for the fast-track project, covering more facade in less time.

At the building’s entrance, the silver metal cladding also enabled the striking design originally envisioned by the architects. The design creates what Allen calls a “critical interplay of lighting effects by introducing daylighting patterns through the openings and edges of the structure,” in addition to full-color illumination during night.

Ultimately, Acuity Brand’s opinion is what really counted. “The client was thrilled with the finished product,” reports Brian Lanier, project manager with the architect of record, Homer Lewis & Associates, Social Circle, Georgia.