Western Specialty Contractors Architectural Sheet Metal Branch 123 in Kansas City, KS recently completed fabrication and installation of custom-colored Aluminum Composite Metal (ACM) wall panels on the new Lawrence Memorial Health West (LMH West) in Lawrence, Kansas.

Construction on the new $100 million outpatient facility began in August 2018 and was completed in fall 2020. The 240,000-square-foot facility is located adjacent to Rock Chalk Park sports complex in northwest Lawrence and visible from highways K-10 and I-70.

Western was hired to fabricate and install over 1,200 custom-designed ACM wall panels and column covers (materials supplied by Citadel Architectural Products) on the hospital’s exterior. The ACM panels are a custom graphite gray and wood-look finish and were installed in one direction to achieve the desired architectural look.

Western custom fabricated the panels, which are required to be heated to a specific temperature during the fabrication process to prevent the paint from fracturing. Western’s sheet metal crew then installed the panels to the building’s eyebrow dormers, reverse mansard roof and canopies.

ACM wall panels are extremely durable; resistant to fire, weathering and staining; and maintain their finish longer than granite or brick with less maintenance. Serving as a rainscreen system, the panels also provide an air gap that allows water drainage and evaporation of moisture that can accumulate behind the cladding panel.

The architect on the project was Pulse Design and McCownGorden Construction was the general contractor.