Reinventing an 80-acre open-air mall in a Calgary winter is no small undertaking.
But that’s exactly what Thermo Design Insulation was tasked with when transforming Deerfoot City Mall into a dynamic social hub that would alter the area’s retail landscape.
With Deerfoot City’s four zones — Food Lodge, Style District, Restaurant Campus and Central Plaza — the 1.1 million square foot property has something for everyone. Its 150 shops, services, and restaurants include everything from McDonald’s and Tim Hortons, to Sally’s Beauty Supply and LensCrafters, just to name a few.
Deerfoot City was faced with several challenges as it underwent this transformation. Not only did it intend to create a more structurally sound exterior with higher insulating values than its previous concrete material, but also the facility needed flexible building products that would make for a quick installation process in order to align with the project’s tight schedule. In addition, Deerfoot City needed materials that would bring its façade to life, matching the vibrant look and feel of the rebranded campus.
That’s why the company turned to Metl-Span and its CF Architectural insulated metal panels —products that now protect and define Calgary’s largest retail transformation.
“The envelope is the most critical part of the building,” said Tyson Jones, Thermo Design Insulation District Manager. “Metl-Span insulated metal panels provide design flexibility, without sacrificing performance.”
A Paneling Product for All Seasons
Metl-Span’s CF Architectural panels were specified to allow patrons to enjoy their social experience in the open-air mall, despite the daily winter temperatures that tend to be below freezing. The panels feature a Class 1 polyurethane foam core between two steel-face sheets to achieve peak thermal values.
Expansive transformations like the Deerfoot City Mall require installation flexibility, an important factor when frigid temperatures can dip below-30 degrees Celcius. Metl-Span’s CF Architectural panels can be installed in all weather conditions, keeping each phase of the project on time and on budget in Calgary’s harsh winter weather.
Deerfoot City also wanted its panels to match the upscale rebrand it was trying to achieve—without an expensive price tag. Metl-Span’s rich white (both Igloo White and Polar White) and complementary gray (Charcoal Gray, Regal Gray and Slate Gray) finishes with their trimless ends proved to be the ideal palettes to achieve the desired high-end and aluminum composite look of Deerfoot City’s new identity.
For more information on Metl-Span’s unique blend of high performance and aesthetically appealing products, visit metlspan.com/performance.
Related Stories
| Feb 27, 2014
Metal Construction Association introduces two Environmental Product Declarations
Two Environmental Product Declarations (EPD), one for Metal Composite Material Panels and one for Roll Formed Steel Panels for Roofs and Walls, are now available free of charge from the Metal Construction Association (MCA) on its website.
| Feb 19, 2014
AIA class: The ABCs of IMPs – How to design and build with insulated metal panels
This AIA/CES class offers insight in areas including policies and codes surrounding insulated metal panels, contributions from LEED and tax credits, energy modeling, and business development opportunities available with IMPs. Take this course and earn 1.0 AIA LU/HSW/SD.
| Feb 13, 2014
Why you should start with a builder
They say the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. Expanding your building or constructing a new structure for your business, church, or school isn’t all that different. Attacking it is best done in small, deliberate pieces.
| Feb 6, 2014
New Hampshire metal building awes visitors
Visitors to the Keene Family YMCA in New Hampshire are often surprised by what they encounter. Liz Coppola calls it the “wow factor.” “Literally, there’s jaw dropping,” says Coppola, director of financial and program development for the Keene Family YMCA.
| Feb 5, 2014
CENTRIA Redefines Coating System with Versacor® Elite
The Versacor Elite Coating System is a premium metal coating system that provides the highest level of protection in the harshest climatic or environmental conditions.
| Jan 30, 2014
What to expect in the metal building industry in 2014
Every year brings changes. This one won’t be any different. We’ll see growth in some areas, declines in others. Here’s a little preview of what we’ll be writing about 2014 when 2015 comes rolling in.
| Jan 28, 2014
White Paper: How metal buildings deliver long-term value to schools
A new white paper from Star Building Systems outlines the benefits of metal buildings for public and private school building projects.
| Jan 23, 2014
Think you can recognize a metal building from the outside?
What looks like brick, stucco or wood on the outside could actually be a metal building. Metal is no longer easily detectable. It’s gotten sneakier visually. And a great example of that is the Madison Square retail center in Norman, Okla.
| Jan 13, 2014
Custom exterior fabricator A. Zahner unveils free façade design software for architects
The web-based tool uses the company's factory floor like "a massive rapid prototype machine,” allowing designers to manipulate designs on the fly based on cost and other factors, according to CEO/President Bill Zahner.
| Dec 16, 2013
Is the metal building industry in a technology shift?
Automation is the future you can’t avoid, though you may try. Even within the metal building industry—which is made up of skilled tradesmen—automation has revolutionized, and will continue revolutionizing, how we work.
