Homerun Success for SlenderWall in Greensboro
CHALLENGE:
Located adjacent to the First National Bank Field, home of the Greensboro Grasshoppers, the Owner and Architect were tasked with designing a building that would capture both the traditional appearance of the existing ballpark with the more modern aesthetic of the surrounding commercial district.
SOLUTION:
Smith-Midland’s SlenderWall panelized wall system was chosen to provide the traditional appearance desired by the project team.
Targeting a traditional aesthetic, West and Stem Architects chose masonry to blend in with the façade of the existing ballpark. “The challenges and limitations of utilizing traditional masonry veneer construction at mid-rise heights led, ultimately, to consideration of alternate envelope approaches,” says Jay Stem, AIA, a principal in the firm. Landmark Builders’ Channing Chrismon says once the team came across SlenderWall as a possibility, everyone involved was intrigued by its capabilities. “It provided a means to get a skin on this building very quickly and economically,” he says.
SlenderWall is a complete fabricated wall assembly that combines high strength concrete façade clad with thin-brick, closed-cell foam insulation, and interior framing studs. Due to the reduced weight of 38 lbs. per sq. ft., Landmark Builders was able to use a mobile crane which aided navigation around a constrained building site and facilitated building enclosure in five weeks, three to four months faster than traditional construction methods. Similarly, utilizing SlenderWall provided a single source responsibility allowing the project team to eliminate any scheduling and warranty issues raised when multiple trade crews are required. Shortly after opening, the building won a commercial real estate award, according to architect Jay Stem. “I think it’s very safe to say as a design, development and construction team, we are extremely happy with the project’s exterior appearance,” he says. Landmark Builders’ Chrismon echoes Stem’s praise stating “We plan to continue to explore using SlenderWall.”
Sponsored by:
Continue Reading
Sponsored Recommendations
PROJECT OVERVIEW
PROJECT: The Slugger Project (400 Bellemeade Office Building)
LOCATION: Greensboro, North Carolina
DESIGN TEAM: West and Stem Architects
PRODUCT SPECS: SlenderWall Exterior Precast Concrete Wall System