Add as a preferred source on Google

Panel Facade System Enhances Design

  • 12/01/17
Metalwerks

The Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management benefits aesthetically from Metalwërks’ precision metal façade system, which also allowed designers to come in under budget.

Metalwërks, a leader in precision metal plate exterior façade systems, provided 82,000 total square feet of its products for a new construction project at Morgan State University’s new business school in Baltimore, and the pedestrian bridge that connects the east and west sides of the campus.

The new six-story Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management is the jewel of the long-awaited Morgan Business Center. The building is clad with a number of Metalwërks products, including Arcwall DBV Spline panels, custom perforated column covers and skylight panels, and custom Econowall canopy and plate accent features throughout.

Before Metalwërks’ involvement, the original exterior specification was for terra cotta tile, which was coming in over budget. With no additional funding available, Metalwërks collaborated with design architects at Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) and Ayers Saint Gross—the local architect of record—to study a variety of wall systems, ultimately providing one that would save on funding considerably and win them the project in August of 2013.

The triangular-shaped structure takes advantage of the site’s significant north to south grade change—evident at a landscape view of the building. Its subtle curvature and wedge shape, along with various curtainwall levels, provided a challenge during the design phase—overcome by Metalwërks’ breadth of accommodating products and an integrated project team approach.

“Even with such a complex design, Metalwërks fabricated the facade flawlessly,” says Tarek Saleh, senior associate at Ayers Saint Gross. “Their design-build process was a great success, and the final product looks incredible.”

On the exterior of the business school building, varying sizes of Arcwall DBV (Drained, Back Vented) Spline panels were specified between vertical window units. The assorted panel sizes were incorporated and installed seamlessly.

www.metalwerksusa.com

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • sapling sprouting from a cracked stone

    Lessons in Resilience: Disaster Recovery in Our Schools

    Facility managers play a pivotal role in how well a school weathers and recovers from a crisis. Whether it's a hurricane, a flood, a tornado, or a man-made event, preparation determines resilience.

  • Construction Begins on East Austin CTE-Focused High School

    The Del Valle Independent School District recently announced that construction has begun on a new CTE-focused high school in Austin, Texas, according to a news release. Del Valle High School will measure in at 473,338 square feet and have the capacity for 2,400 students.

  • Geometric abstract school illustration

    How Design Shapes Learning and Success

    Can the color of a wall, the curve of a chair, or the hum of fluorescent lights really affect how a student learns? More schools are beginning to think so.

  • Illinois District Boosts Security at High-School Stadium

    Richmond-Burton Community High School in Richmond, Ill., recently announced that it has completed the redesigned entrance to its high school stadium with a new focus on school security and community engagement, according to a news release. The district partnered with Wold Architects and Engineers on the project as part of District #157’s year-long facilities master plan.

Digital Edition