The town of Cullowhee, NC, serves as the home of Western Carolina University (WCU), part of the University of North Carolina System. In the past 20 years, enrollment has doubled at WCU, causing a simultaneous spike in the town’s population.
Translate that growth to the volunteer fire service that supports and protects the community. Years ago, firefighters might respond to only 100 calls all year. Today, they might get between 75 and 100 calls a month.
To accommodate the growing needs of the fire department, Cullowhee approved the construction of a new fire station along Little Savannah Road.
Insulated metal panels (IMPs) manufactured by Metl-Span proved to be the optimal construction solution for the new, expanded facility.
Fired Up to Fuel Growth
At nearly 17,000 square feet, the new Cullowhee Fire Station includes eight truck bays – six back-end bays, and two extra-long drive-through bays for larger ladder trucks. This doubled the capacity for trucks and equipment compared to the previous fire station. The new facility also boasts an expanded space for education and training, a larger kitchen, offices for officers within the department, and bunk rooms.
During the planning phases, Odell Thompson, principal at Mahaley Odell Thompson Architect, envisioned a new home for firefighters that would instill pride and simultaneously fit into its surroundings.
“[Residents] would recognize it as an institution that is important to their community, taking care of their community,” said Thompson. “Part of the design scheme was to relate in some ways to the architecture on the campus [of WCU], which has a lot of brick and capstone details.”
To deliver on this vision, Thompson designated brick and capstone for the exterior of the building that included the administrative offices. The home for trucks and equipment would have a more industrial feel, and metal panels would create that aesthetic.
Right and Tight
Thompson and the design team initially encountered a challenge based on new design standards in the town that did not allow for metal siding on a building.
The solution: CF Tuff-Cast™ panels from Metl-Span, an attractive insulated metal panel with the appearance of finished precast concrete. This satisfied the local planning commission, which approved the use of the product so the project could move forward.
“When you look at it, you don’t think ‘metal building,’” Thompson noted when it came to the exterior of the building that included Tuff-Cast. “Everybody was happy with the look of it.”
Metl-Span’s CF Tuff-Cast has an exterior surface with a hard, aggregated fiber-reinforced polymer coating created with the factory-applied Tuff Cote®finish system. The result is an extremely durable, impact- and abrasion-resistant coating that withstands severe weather conditions.
Tuff-Cast also helped Thompson to deliver the right aesthetics on the inside of the building.
“We don’t see that vinyl insulation on the [inside] walls [with Tuff-Cast]. It is a finished product, so it looks good,” Thompson remarked. “The light color is very nice on the inside, because it reflects the light above the trucks. It just gives it a clean, finished look.”
Making the Call
Thompson’s experience with Metl-Span’s Tuff-Cast on the Cullowhee Fire Station project has him thinking about ways to apply the solution in future projects.
“It was the exact right product for this location and for this type of building,” Thompson said.
It is also why he plans to recommend it again when other fire companies are looking to build their new homes.
Related Stories
| 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.
| Dec 10, 2013
16 great solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors
From a crowd-funded smart shovel to a why-didn’t-someone-do-this-sooner scheme for managing traffic in public restrooms, these ideas are noteworthy for creative problem-solving. Here are some of the most intriguing innovations the BD+C community has brought to our attention this year.
