flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Think you can recognize a metal building from the outside?

Sponsored Content

Think you can recognize a metal building from the outside?


Jeff Koos | October 13, 2014
Photo: Star Building Systems

It’s getting more and more difficult to spot a metal building these days. What looks like brick, stucco or wood on the outside could actually be a metal building in disguise. 

A great example of this visual deceptiveness is the Madison Square retail center in Norman, Oklahoma.

The original 20,000 square-foot structure was completed in 2010, with an additional 80,000 square-feet expansion nearing completion. It isn’t a warehouse or an industrial complex; it isn’t storage space or a personal garage. It’s a stunning retail space that, just before dusk, settles into the landscape with a relaxed air as if it’s been there for ages.

Tim Grissom, co-owner of Precision Builders, had a strong vision in mind for the retail space, which was made possible with Star Metal Buildings. It’s old world style meets new world technology, according to Grissom, which built the complex and is currently handling the expansion.

“We wanted an old, small-town downtown look where you have multiple façades of buildings that are done in different ways with different materials,” he says. “That makes each space unique.”

The veneer is a variation of stone, split-faced rock and brick of varying sizes.

“I don’t think there’s anything in the way of veneer that we couldn’t use if we wanted to use it,” says Grissom.

The varying appearance gives the building, as well as the tenants, the opportunity to streamline their visual persona. BA Fitness, a private personal training business, chose lighter brick and large block lettering, while Old Republic Title, a title company, opted for a more classic façade and logo.

“As soon as people started seeing that building go up, they wanted in there. Before we even finished construction the first tenant had moved in,” says Grissom. “It doesn’t look like a metal building and that allows us to tailor the exterior veneer to the client’s needs.”

Read more from the Starbuildings blog. 

More from Author

Jeff Koos | Oct 9, 2015

How to identify a metal building

The metal buildings of yesteryear were drab and largely windowless. Now, an application that depends on big, beautiful windows can have everything it needs in a metal building system.

Jeff Koos | May 27, 2014

Contractors survey reveals improving construction market

The construction industry is on the road to recovery, according to a new survey by Metal Construction News. Most metrics improved from the previous year’s survey, including a 19.4% increase in the average annual gross contracting sales volume. SPONSORED CONTENT

Jeff Koos | Apr 8, 2014

Reflecting on job number 61-001

Job number 61-001 changed everything. It was sold in 1961, a year of change for the nation and for Star. By January, John F. Kennedy would be president. By the end of the year, Star would launch a historic shift in our product and our distribution, a shift still active today.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021