Strongwell’s products were used by Plas-Tech Ltd., a Honolulu, Hawaii fabricator, for an architectural trellis overlooking Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii. The trellis sits on top of the Waikiki Shopping Plaza located at the center of the city on world-famous Kalakaua Avenue. The retail center is home to over 50 tenants including national brands GUESS and LeSportSac and also a number of local favorites such as Local Motion, Ukulele House, and Higgins Harte International Galleries.
MGA Architecture, Honolulu, Hawaii, specified the design of the trellis to use Strongwell’s EXTREN 2 x 6-½-in. rectangular tubes. Plas-Tech fabricated the trellis components by molding the outrigger beams and assembling and painting. MGA’s design was inspired by the native Hawaiian culture to evoke sensory response and emotional experience while blending in with the overly urban character of modern-day Waikiki. The trellis system was easily installed and both MGA and Plas-Tech are very happy with the finished product. MGA Architecture was so pleased with Strongwell’s FRP structural shapes, they have plans to add five more trellis systems on the neighboring building. They will also use Strongwell components for another future project.
Project Summary: Waikiki Shopping Plaza, Waikiki, Hawaii
BUILDING TEAM
Architect: MGA Architectures
Fabricator: Plas-Tech Ltd.
Product: Strongwell EXTREN 2 x 6-½-in. rectangular tubes
EXTREN is a proprietary combination of fiberglass reinforcements and thermosetting polyester or vinyl ester resin systems. It is produced in more than 100 standard shapes and has a surface veil to protect against glass fibers penetrating the resin surface in service and to increase corrosion and UV resistance. The features of EXTREN include: corrosion resistant, Low Conductivity – thermally and electrically, non-magnetic – electromagnetic transparency, lightweight, high strength, dimensional stability, and low maintenance.
The features of EXTREN include: corrosion resistant, low conductivity – thermally and electrically, non-magnetic – electromagnetic transparency, lightweight, high strength, dimensional stability, and low maintenance.
EXTREN is offered in three series designed for different environments and applications:
- Series 500 – an all-purpose series utilizing an isophthalic polyester resin system with a UV inhibitor. Series 500 color is Olive Green
- Series 525 – An all-purpose series utilizing a fire retardant isophthalic polyester resin system with a UV inhibitor. Series 525 color is Slate Gray (plus certain handrail and fixed ladder components in yellow)
- Series 625 - A premium series both fire retardant and highly corrosion resistant utilizing a vinyl ester resin system with a UV inhibitor. Series 625 color is Beige
For more information, contact Strongwell at 276-645-8000, webmaster@strongwell.com or visit www.strongwell.com. BD+C
Related Stories
Construction Costs | Oct 16, 2024
Construction Crane Index: Most major markets’ crane counts increase or hold steady in third quarter
Rider Levett Bucknall’s (RLB’s) latest Crane Index and Quarterly Cost Report shows continued decreasing cost inflation and crane counts increasing or holding steady in 10 of the 14 major markets it surveyed. The national average increase in construction costs was 1.07%, the lowest it’s been in the last three years.
AEC Tech | Oct 16, 2024
How AI can augment the design visualization process
Blog author Tim Beecken, AIA, uses the design of an airport as a case-study for AI’s potential in design visualizations.
University Buildings | Oct 15, 2024
Recreation and wellness are bedfellows in new campus student centers
Student demands for amenities and services that address their emotional and mental wellbeing are impacting new development on college campuses that has led to recreation centers with wellness portfolios.
Higher Education | Oct 14, 2024
Higher education design for the first-gen college student
In this Design Collaborative blog, Yogen Solanki, Assoc. AIA, shares how architecture and design can help higher education institutions address some of the challenges faced by first-generation students.
Performing Arts Centers | Oct 10, 2024
Studio Gang's performing arts center for Hudson Valley Shakespeare breaks ground
A new permanent home for Hudson Valley Shakespeare, a professional non-profit theater company, recently broke ground in Garrison, N.Y. The Samuel H. Scripps Theater Center includes a 14,850 sf performance venue that will serve as a permanent home for the theater company known for its sweeping open-air productions of classics and new works.
Sustainable Design and Construction | Oct 10, 2024
Northglenn, a Denver suburb, opens a net zero, all-electric city hall with a mass timber structure
Northglenn, Colo., a Denver suburb, has opened the new Northglenn City Hall—a net zero, fully electric building with a mass timber structure. The 32,600-sf, $33.7 million building houses 60 city staffers. Designed by Anderson Mason Dale Architects, Northglenn City Hall is set to become the first municipal building in Colorado, and one of the first in the country, to achieve the Core certification: a green building rating system overseen by the International Living Future Institute.
3D Printing | Oct 9, 2024
3D-printed construction milestones take shape in Tennessee and Texas
Two notable 3D-printed projects mark milestones in the new construction technique of “printing” structures with specialized concrete. In Athens, Tennessee, Walmart hired Alquist 3D to build a 20-foot-high store expansion, one of the largest freestanding 3D-printed commercial concrete structures in the U.S. In Marfa, Texas, the world’s first 3D-printed hotel is under construction at an existing hotel and campground site.
University Buildings | Oct 9, 2024
Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences opens a new 88-acre campus
Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences has opened a new campus spanning 88 acres, over three times larger than its previous location. Designed by RDG Planning & Design and built by Turner Construction, the $260 million campus features technology-rich, flexible educational spaces that promote innovative teaching methods, expand research activity, and enhance clinical services. The campus includes four buildings connected with elevated pathways and totaling 382,000 sf.
Student Housing | Oct 9, 2024
University of Maryland begins work on $148 million graduate student housing development
The University of Maryland, in partnership with Campus Apartments and Mosaic Development Partners, has broken ground on a $148.75 million graduate student housing project on the university’s flagship College Park campus. The project will add 741 beds in 465 fully furnished apartments.
Healthcare Facilities | Oct 9, 2024
How healthcare operations inform design
Amanda Fisher, Communications Specialist, shares how BWBR's personalized approach and specialized experience can make a meaningful impact to healthcare facilities.
