Both Del Valle High School in Del Valle, Texas, and Doris M. Reed Elementary in Las Vegas were in urgent need of new school buildings. In the case of Del Valle, they were ready to add a high-tech Career and Technical Education Center with the latest advances in science, automotive repair, and classroom facilities. Doris M. Reed was witnessing a population explosion and needed new classrooms … fast.
Tasked with finding an economical, yet modern, solution that would maintain its looks over time, architects on both projects opted for a mix of masonry and metal wall panel systems. With a variety of finishes and rib patterns, metal wall panels provide the dramatic lines and bold color that complement the masonry exteriors.
Del Valle High School
Designers at Austin-based Pfluger Architects specified Petersen’s PAC-CLAD Precision Series Highline S1 panels to clad the upper two-thirds of the structure. The mix of finishes and profiles add visual interest and a high-tech appeal, with colors that pop and installation detailing that creates unique shadow effects.
For example, 22-gauge steel panels in three custom red finishes clad the protruding window bays, a corner stairwell and the automotive bays. The rows of vertically mounted panels in alternating finishes create a shadow-suggesting ripple effect. Most of the remaining wall surface is clad in horizontally running panels in bone white, with panels that define the window areas in cityscape.
All the panels are installed at varying depths, which enhances shadowing throughout the day. According to Dallas Goodman, senior project manager at Texas Roofing Co., in Round Rock, Texas, “In the initial design stage, we discussed what they were looking for and the depth of the panels. The red panels repeat a pattern every 50-second panel, and the architect had that on the drawings,” he says.
In addition to the wall panels, PAC-CLAD’s Tite-Loc Plus standing seam metal roof was used as a canopy over the school’s automotive bays.
Petersen played a key role in the project’s success. “Most of it was custom-run, so Petersen was integral in making sure we had what we needed, on-site, when we needed it,” Goodman recalls.
Doris M. Reed Elementary School
Designers in Gensler’s Las Vegas office used bump-outs, overhangs, and layered masonry courses, to create a dynamic façade for the Doris M. Reed Elementary School. When it came to color, the easy choice was the signature bright blue of the school’s Roadrunner mascot.
For the custom blue wall panel-cladded window bays and the building’s entrance, the firm opted for Petersen’s PAC-CLAD Precision Series HWP panels in 24-gauge steel. Andy Russo Jr., longtime owner of his self-named installation company, recommended PAC-CLAD to the architects. “I’ve been dealing with Petersen since the early 1990s. I like their material, and any issues I’ve ever had, they’ve taken care of,” he says.
Russo’s crew performed some custom work, including fabricating the perforated panels used to shelter an exterior staircase. Further craftsmanship can be seen in the lack of seams across the panels’ 45-foot runs. “Other than the outside miter, we did it all as continuous-length,” Russo says.
For more information on metal wall panel systems, visit PAC-CLAD.
