For the 2018 AIA Convention and Trade Show, Building, Design + Construction magazine debuted its Design Showcase exhibit—a one-of-a kind tiny house, representing the “Workplace of the Future.” This unique structure, designed and constructed by Tiny House Northeast saw more than 1000 visitors during the two-day trade show, which was held in New York in June.
As the exterior sponsor, ALPOLIC turned to Metal Design Systems (MDS) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to come up with a way to fabricate its Timber Series metal composite material —finished in Walnut— for this unique venture. Unlike most ALPOLIC projects, the tiny house required an install capable of staying in place while the structure it was applied to was actually rolling down a highway.
“We had to really think outside the box on how the fabrication and installation would need to be because, by necessity, this was a very different application for MCM,” said MDS Project Manager Lee Velky.
To achieve the best results, Velky and the MDSI team fabricated nearly 1,000 square feet of ALPOLIC’s 3mm metal composite material into 10” x 12’ strips, and then hand rolled the bottom edge of each piece. They did a test run on a mock up inside the facility to ensure the product not only looked great, but installed as easily as they’d hoped. It did.
On site at the tiny house build, the Walnut MCM was layered, much like residential vinyl, with a one inch overlap, helping to create a water-resistant siding. And just like vinyl, the ALPOLIC material didn’t require special tools or equipment to install. Workers were able to cut, shape and trim the product to fit the home’s dimensions on site with regular carpentry tools.
“We were so pleased with the end result. It’s always exciting to see our product used in an innovative, creative way,” said David Kearney, sales and marketing director for ALPOLIC. “And, this obviously provides new design options for customers, both residential and commercial.”
Related Stories
| Mar 10, 2011
Steel Joists Clean Up a Car Wash’s Carbon Footprint
Open-web bowstring trusses and steel joists give a Utah car wash architectural interest, reduce its construction costs, and help green a building type with a reputation for being wasteful.
| Mar 8, 2011
ThyssenKrupp Nirosta, Christian Pohl GmbH supply stainless steel to One World Trade Center
Corners of the One World Trade Center 's facade will be edged with stainless steel made in Germany. ThyssenKrupp Nirosta (Krefeld) produced the material at its Dillenburg plant using a customized rolling and heat-treatment process. Partner company Christian Pohl GmbH (Cologne) fabricated the material into complex facade elements for the corners of the New York City skyscraper.
| Feb 22, 2011
Military tests show copper increases HVAC efficiency, reduces odors
Recent testing, which is being funded by the Department of Defense, is taking place in military barracks at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Side-by-side comparisons demonstrate that air conditioning units made with copper suppress the growth of bacteria, mold, and mildew that cause odors and reduce system energy efficiency.
| Dec 17, 2010
Gemstone-inspired design earns India’s first LEED Gold for a hotel
The Park Hotel Hyderabad in Hyderabad, India, was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to combine inspirations from the region’s jewelry-making traditions with sustainable elements.
| Dec 7, 2010
Product of the Week: Petersen Aluminum’s column covers used in IBM’S new offices
IBM’s new offices at Dulles Station West in Herndon, Va., utilized Petersen’s PAC-1000 F Flush Series column covers. The columns are within the office’s Mobility Area, which is designed for a mobile workforce looking for quick in-and-out work space. The majority of workspaces in the office are unassigned and intended to be used on a temporary basis.
| Nov 5, 2010
New Millennium’s Gary Heasley on BIM, LEED, and the nonresidential market
Gary Heasley, president of New Millennium Building Systems, Fort Wayne, Ind., and EVP of its parent company, Steel Dynamics, Inc., tells BD+C’s Robert Cassidy about the Steel Joist Manufacturer’s westward expansion, its push to create BIM tools for its products, LEED, and the outlook for the nonresidential construction market.
| Oct 11, 2010
MBMA Releases Fire Resistance Design Guide for metal building systems
The Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA) announces the release of the 2010 Fire Resistance Design Guide for Metal Building Systems. The guide provides building owners, architects, engineers, specifiers, fire marshals, building code officials, contractors, product vendors, builders and metal building manufacturers information on how to effectively meet fire resistance requirements of a project with metal building systems.
| Sep 13, 2010
7 Ways to Economize on Steel Buildings
Two veteran structural engineers give you the lowdown on how to trim costs the next time you build with steel.
| Aug 11, 2010
AAMA leads development of BIM standard for fenestration products
The American Architectural Manufacturers Association’s newly formed BIM Task Group met during the AAMA National Fall Conference to discuss the need for an BIM standard for nonresidential fenestration products.