RPC

Rob Pelletier Construction, Inc. Houston Texas

Austin ISD Performing Arts Center

 

Austin_ISD_Performing_Arts_nightThe new Austin Independent School District Performing Arts Center (PAC) achieves optimal performance for the 84,000 students it serves annually and the 23% less overall energy use it expends over baseline facilities* – thanks in part to CPI Daylighting’s UniQuad® translucent wall system.

Designed by Pfluger Architects, the 60,000-sq.-ft., $30 million project features 6,840 sq. ft. of Kingspan Light + Air’s UniQuad translucent wall system. The new state-of-the-art venue, located on the grounds of a former airport, earned certification from both LEED and the local Austin Green Building Program.

Together, the UniQuad daylighting system that runs across the top and the vision glass that spans the bottom, make up PAC’s curtainwall. This unique combination allows diffused light to penetrate deep into the space without any glare. High sun angles and heat gain are eliminated, while unobstructed views are maintained inside and out. This solution created the special effect for evening performances that PAC’s owners were looking for.

The use of a translucent panel system was in response to the owner’s desire to create a visual ‘lantern’ effect for nighttime events. – Sean Conner, Project Manager for Pfluger

 
In addition to the “look” of the facility, keeping the extreme heat and glare of the Texas sun out while still maintaining the desired daylighting views and ambient interior was a priority for designers. “Kingspan Light + Airs’s installation characteristics were very impressive,” said Connor. “During construction, when the panels were installed in the lobby but the AC was not yet running, the room was comfortable even in Texas in August, with 100 degree-plus temperatures and a directly west-facing wall.”

Featuring a 1,200-seat auditorium, a 250-seat black box theatre, a 4,690 sq. ft. dance studio and a 2,600 sq. ft. multipurpose room, the PAC continues to draw rave reviews for its shows and the ability of its UniQuad translucent wall to effectively daylight the facility. “It still looks brand new,” said Connor. “Everyone’s happy and there’s no complaints about glare.”

Compared to a baseline case study, the PAC achieves 23% less overall energy use.

SeatGeek Stadium Transit Center

Chicago’s SeatGeek Stadium Transit Center Station is more than just a simple bus stop.  

Owners Pace Bus Company and the City of Bridgeview, IL, wanted the station standing opposite the Chicago Fire Soccer Club’s arena to feature backlit translucent panels in official club colors – red and white.
The challenge for the designers was attaching panels to the canopy while integrating an LED lighting system. Maintenance was another a concern. City personnel needed to be able to service the interior cavity easily. The City also wanted the panels to look like they were floating atop the brick structure. The specified panel manufacturer was unable to meet design requirements, and the project faced potential setbacks ahead of the team’s 2019 season kick-off.
 
Chicago-based Studio ARQ Architects turned to Kingpsan Light +Air | CPI Daylighting for a translucent panel solution that could meet all of their needs.

The Kingspan Light + Air Solution
Kingspan Light + Air designers engineered and built a 3,180-sq.-ft. translucent wall panel system, with a 7-ft.-tall cavity and roof hatch allowing city maintenance personnel easy access inside. The red matte and ice white matte translucent panels are held together by a concealed aluminum support system, without the need for a large structural joint. Apart from the panel perimeter, there is no exposed aluminum. Made up of small internal cells that help improve the quality and balance distrubiton of glare-free light with a special UV inhibitor, the panels feature superior durability and prolonged resistance to impact. Designed with a mechanically interlocking double-tooth connection, the panels are also removable for maintenance and replacement as necessary.

In addition to the panel features, Kingspan Light + Air designers knew that when  red and white panels are joined and backlit without creating separation between the two, light could easily bounce through the red and tint the white panels pink – something the owners didn’t want.

To prevent this, Kingspan Light + Air designers created an angle inside of the cavity, placing the light fixtures and back-end support structure a few feet away from the glazing. This allowed the Chicago Fire Club red and white to remain bold, vibrant and seperate.

“Another concern we had was insects crawling into the panels,” said Jose Espejo, Project Manager, Studio ARQ, Chicago. “When I saw the panels delivered to the site, I saw that Kingspan had put an aluminum screen guard on the edges that allows the panels to breathe, but also prevents unwanted creatures from crawling in there and creating black spots.”

With a clear balance of color throughout the floating structure, the new SeatGeek Stadium Transit Center is a focal point for area visitors and soccer fans alike, providing an additional means of transportation, illuminated with a splash of Chicago Fire pride.

Devon Yard Lifestyle Center

When designing the new Devon Yard in Chester County, Pennsylvania, NewStudio Architecture was faced with a seemingly impossible task. They needed to create a “light and airy greenhouse feel” for occupants, while meeting strict local energy codes. NewStudio was concepting more than just a typical shopping mall — Devon Yard is Anthropologie’s first ever “lifestyle center,” built near its original 1992 retail store.

Incorporating local materials, including Pennsylvania field stone and reclaimed barnwood, was important to the brand known for its homey and rustic, modern farmhouse decor. But, architect Erin Grammas, NewStudio Architecture, St. Paul, knew she couldn’t exclusively use a standing-seam, metal barn roof for the project.

“We originally looked at single-ply corrugated poly, but quickly realized that wasn’t going to meet any energy codes, and traditional, corrugated roofing for a green yard wouldn’t work here either. Occupants would get really uncomfortable, really fast,” said architect Erin Grammas. Luckily, NewStudio had partnered with Kingspan Light + Air on previous projects when they needed to meet energy codes, so Grammas knew who to call.

 

Why the Quadwall® skylight system?

 

NewStudio met the challenge with 2,680 square feet of Quadwall skylight system in the two main indoor/outdoor spaces at the heart of the lifestyle center. The system provides a welcoming and airy atmosphere to offset the areas with a standing seam metal roof, while significantly reducing glare and added heat, and diffusing natural daylight indoors.

Kingspan’s ice-white glazed, two-panel Quadwall translucent skylight system is constructed so that panels are independent of one another, but also mechanically connected to the system’s internal support structure. This removeable skin technology (RST) feature ensures that if there is a future need to update the exterior, those panels can be changed without interrupting ongoing business operations while maintaining the integrity of the system. The flexibility to replace individual panels as needed, rather than the entire system, makes Quadwall extremely versatile and significantly increases its lifespan.

It was an engineering feat that resulted in the destination place it is today. – Erin Grammas, Architect NewStudio Architecture

Creating the Devon Yard experience

 
Devon Yard opened in September 2018 next to the iconic Devon Horse Show grounds, and quickly became a local town center. With detailing that blends into the local landscape, Devon Yard, as one local newspaper said: “seems almost as if it’s always been there.” From exposed beams to the Quadwall and standing seam metal roof combination, this unusual space came to life through extensive coordination between a team of structural engineers, architects and Kingspan Light + Air designers.

“The result looks nice and clean, but we spent a lot of time coordinating the standing seam metal roof, the Quadwall and different wall types to make sure we met the energy standards and aesthetic we wanted. It was an engineering feat that resulted in the destination place it is today,” said Grammas.

Anchored by a flagship Anthropologie retail store, Devon Yards boasts five structures, featuring two fine eateries, a home/garden shop and more. Brought together around a central courtyard, with a style suggestive of both pastoral farmhouses and modern greenhouses, Devon Yard is elegantly simple.

Mexican Radio

Located in Oklahoma City’s Plaza District, Mexican Radio specializes in two things: tacos and cold drinks. The newly opened concept restaurant conceived by A Good Egg Dining Group occupies a lively, fun space.
 
The property’s major restoration includes a covered outdoor dining area. There, a translucent vaulted canopy crowns the space in a swirl of bright colors. Inspired by a colorful fine art glass installation, the owners and architect collaborated to find the right solution.
 
The canopy adds more than just a bright accent for diners: It creates an additional dining space that protects diners from the elements and makes the space useful nearly year ’round.

Kitchen at Commonplace – Gardner Architects by Mel Willis

Potomac School

Nestled into a hillside campus, structures at the Potomac School – an independent private day school in McLean, Virginia – share a common vocabulary of stone, stucco, glass and wood. In design of a new indoor athletic facility there, it was essential that the building bring in the lush setting and as much natural light as possible.
 
“A healthy building needs natural light,” says architect Ken Wiseman, design principal at Cannon Design. “The building was going to be on a spectacular site, but we had to find a way to bring the light in, and we wanted a very clean façade overall.” Turning to an innovative, sustainable solution, the design team selected the UniQuad® Translucent Wall System.
 
The athletic facility is sunk in the ground to achieve proper scale. A narrow band of glass wraps the building near ground level, topped by 4,500 square feet of UniQuad translucent walls on three sides, rising to a height of 30 feet.

Riverside Recreation Center

Founded in 1898, the 860-acre Riverside Park in Indianapolis needed a rebranding and remodeling. The Indianapolis Parks Department decided to invest more than $100 million into renovations, including the replacement of a failing daylighting system at the Park’s Family Recreation Center. 1,940 sq. ft. of UniQuad translucent wall system replaced the deteriorating and yellowing daylighting wall. Our white and blue-glazed panels were installed to allow more natural and uniform light to diffuse into the space while minimizing glare for those occupying the facility, bringing a new and fun aesthetic to the building in the process.

The facility houses a variety of amenities for community members, including: a gymnasium, weight room, craft room for children, basketball courts, picnic shelters, and more.

Roanoke Blacksburg Airport

The ever-growing Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport (ROA) wanted to better accommodate the 600,000+ passengers that move through the airport annually. To help guide commuters to the terminal and protect them from poor weather and glare, ROA incorporated 7,560 sq. ft. of our Pentaglas canopy system into a massive $1.9 million renovation project for the airport. Designed to match the architectural style and feel of the airport itself, our blue matte canopy serves as a focal point, spanning the entire length of the Long-Term parking lot to lead guests and travelers to the Terminal’s main entrance.

Skokomish Community Center

The Skokomish Tribe’s brand-new community center encourages stronger relationships within the tribe through programs highlighting culture, traditions, education, ceremonies, and more. The center celebrates the Tribe’s environmentalist culture by incorporating a variety of “green” initiatives, including: LED lighting, over 400 solar panels on the roof, and 3,280 sq. ft. our U-Lite canopy system to provide an abundance of natural light in the entryway below. Traditional Coast Salish artwork was also incorporated into the building’s structure, seen in the barn-style doors and carved poles at the entrance, which make up the canopy posts. The Skokomish center creates a welcoming environment for all members, and the community believes the new facility is a sign of progress for the tribe and a great indicator of what is to come.

Ohio State University Transit Center

The Ohio State Transit Centers across campus now feature our U-Lite translucent canopy system to provide shelter for the drop off and pick up areas. Over 10,200 sq. ft. of our canopy systems were installed on the school campus, specified in an ice white glazing color. The U-Lite system allows for an abundance of natural light beneath the covered area, creating comfortable and defined spaces for students and passengers. Our pre-engineered system was the perfect solution for the project’s compressed schedule, eliminating weeks of engineering and submittal time and resulting in substantial cost savings.

Memorial Parkway Junior High School

The Katy Independent School District (ISD) wanted a new canopy system installed for the Memorial Parkway High School that was functional, but would leave a lasting impression on its students, faculty, and visitors. We installed 980 sq. ft. of our ice white U-Lite translucent canopy system to provide a seamless look the school district was looking for, while protecting passerby from inclement weather and harsh glare, and providing an abundance of light to the school’s main entryway.