Sustainability, thermal performance, and building efficiency may make insulated metal panels (IMP) a smart and reliable choice for building exteriors, but the material’s seemingly limitless design flexibility is what makes a building with IMPs truly stand out.

“As architects, we are always looking for ways to create impactful designs for our clients. Working with IMPs allows us to do that in several ways,” said Michael Baldassarra of Vaughan, Ontario-based Baldassarra Architects Inc. “IMPs provide a versatile, well insulated, aesthetically pleasing solution for many applications. Based on the size and scale of buildings we are designing in today’s market, the attributes provided by the materials we use can make a big difference.”

The use of IMPs is on the rise at a compound annual growth rate of 3.4%. Architects are choosing eye-catching IMPs as exterior wall systems in stadiums, office buildings, educational facilities, warehouses, and controlled environments for cold storage.

“Insulated metal panels are an all-in-one system solution in which you're getting the benefits of multiple components in one product with air/vapor, water, and thermal performance,” said Amanda Karns, Vice President, Customer and Project Services at Kingspan. “Unlike other exterior cladding systems, IMPs inherently offer options in color, texture, and the shape. So, depending upon what the design intent is, we can help support the architect in finding the best product solution.”

Color choices

While standard colors are offered from manufacturers, there isn’t a limit to the universe of possible colors that they can create in the factory. “If an architect likes the color of their red Ford truck, we can always do a custom color match to reflect the color,” Karns said. “There's also a lot of different projects that will use multiple colors on an elevation, just to provide design flexibility.”

Different PVDF finishes such as micas and metallics can provide unique aesthetics, giving IMPs variations in appearance—depending on the orientation of the building and how sunlight reflects off the façade. Vertical or horizontal orientation of the product can also change the appearance.

During the design phase of a project, color selection is key. Manufacturers will evaluate the color, panel profiles, panel lengths, and structural support spacings to determine the best product application. As with many different building products, darker colors might limit the panel length and change the design appearance.

Profile and textured surfaces

Just as there are a variety of color options, the steel skin can be provided in different profiles such as flat, ribbed, waved, fluted, and planked. Embossing is a rollforming technique in which the metal skin is pressed with a specific pattern. Embossing hides the appearance of material imperfections made during the manufacturing process and can often increase the standard panel lengths.

Profiles can be combined in a single elevation to portray a particular design intention; create and control dramatic shadow lines; and demarcate specific functions or accentuate elements of an exterior design. The selection and placement of texture can change the overall impression of a building and make a particular statement. “By playing with different profiles on a single elevation, it does bring a lot of design flexibility,” Karns said.

Curving elevations

Certain products can be manufactured to curve, providing architects with another product offering in design flexibility. Curved panels can be manufactured and designed to different radii.

“It's more about how we change our manufacturing process, not necessarily how we change the design,” Karns said. “So, the manufacturing process would come into play with curved panels.”

As the manufacturing is essential to delivering the vision of an exterior wall system, it’s crucial to start talking with the IMP manufacturer early in the design phase of a project. Make sure the factory has enough time to implement any special adjustments to deliver the desired look, so the design choices aren’t limited.

“Just having flexibility through the use of color and profile, and depending upon the budget of the project,” Karns said, “the sky's really the limit with insulated metal panels.”

For more information about designing with insulated metal panels, head over to Kingspan.com