Is the façade one of the most important decisions for any commercial architecture project? Few will argue against it. Get the façade right and so many other design elements fall right into place.
Yet, that decision is heavily influenced by other factors, starting with the budget, energy efficiency, structural integrity, sustainability, resiliency, installation speed, site constraints, natural light, among other considerations.
How do you navigate this requirement maze? It’s a fair question and one familiar to most top architects, such as the design teams at SBJ Group and MHS Architects. What envelope challenges did they face? What exterior wall system did they specify? Here’s a look at three major projects:
Project: HighGarden Tower / New Rochelle, NY
- Description: 19 story, 275,000 square feet, 219 affordable housing units
- Budget: $135 million
- Architect: SBJ Group, New York, NY
- Owner: West 20th Street LLC
- Challenge: Match the limestone cladding look of another recently completed tower project using precast concrete panels, but at a substantially lower cost and with faster installation and fewer trades involved.
Project: Hamilton Cove / Weehawken, NJ
- Description: Three-towers, 12- to 15-floors with podium, 573 luxury mixed use multifamily units
- Budget: Phase one of a $375 million project
- Architect: MHS Architecture, Hoboken, NJ
- Owner: Hartz Mountain Industries
- Challenge: Owners required a cladding system consistent with a high-end luxury aesthetic that also delivered installation speed, minimized trades and coordination issues, offered extreme coastal weather resilience and complied with new state energy/thermal code requirements.
Project: Nine on the Hudson / West New York, NJ
- Description: 13-story wide V-form footprint, 278 luxury condo multifamily units with riverfront views
- Budget: Undisclosed
- Architect: MHS Architecture, Hoboken, NJ
- Owner: K Hovnanian Homes
- Challenge: Single crane installation across a wide footprint required lighter weight, structurally supportive cladding panels designed to optimize water-facing sightlines and natural lighting with larger window openings.
While project goals vary considerably, each design team came to the same cladding conclusion: A patented field-proven system with a 30-year track record of delivering precast concrete style and durability without the usual weight concessions. What’s more, each panel offers the flexibility to meet project R-value requirements.
“Pain points on projects vary. However, installation speed is a priority on nearly all projects,” observes Chris Grogan, 35-year industry veteran and business development manager for Smith-Midland, the developers of SlenderWall, a precast concrete cladding system that is one-third the weight of conventional precast concrete panels.
Faster Installation
Less weight and larger panel size is achieved through embedded PVA fiber and welded-wire reinforcement. Lighter weight helps cut installation time by up to 50 percent, simplifies crane use and lowers shipping costs by 60 percent.
The HighGarden Tower project is a good example, Grogan says. “The SlenderWall system saved the owner money and time with a one-and-done solution,” he says, noting the system’s integrated heavy duty galvanized steel studs and closed cell foam insulation saves even more on subcontractor time, expense and coordination.
Labor shortages, material costs and owner expectations put architects under the gun for innovative façade strategies. As you consider cladding alternatives, keep SlenderWall in mind. Today few exterior wall systems can match it for all-inclusive PCI Color and Texture Guide compliance, installation speed, proven economy and extreme weather resilience.
Learn more about how to better achieve your exterior design goals with the SlenderWall cladding system.
