In the heart of Madison, Wisconsin sits Madison Yards, a 21-acre, mixed-use development that will drive a much-needed uptick in housing to the area. The complex includes more than 300 upscale residential units, 11,000 square feet of retail space, a central green space.
To achieve the aesthetic goals of the building, material availability was crucial. There was an emphasis on using materials that were readily available and could be quickly secured without long lead fabrication times. This made insulated metal panels a clear choice for the building envelope.
Insulated metal panels are increasingly the preferred building envelope solution for these plants because of their versatility that includes thermal efficiency, temperature control, design flexibility, safety, ease of installation, durability and more.
Architectural firm KAI Enterprises chose insulated metal panels to build the nearly 500,000 square-foot facility. More than 98,000 square-feet of Kingspan’s KS Mini Micro-Rib and Optimo Smooth panels were used on the project in regal white, dark bronze and bright silver colors.
Like every project, time and money were considerations when choosing building materials. Ultimately, insulated metal panels helped make their vision a reality.
IMPs consist of an outer skin that serves as either metal wall siding or metal roofing, and an inner face that serves as a metal interior finish or liner, with insulation sandwiched between these metal skins.
When it came time to select materials for the building envelope of the expansive facility, insulated metal panels quickly became the preferred solution based on their versatility and performance characteristics.
Specifically engineered for controlled environments, the panels maintain the constant temperatures needed for insect breeding and storage at the high-tech cricket farm. Insulated panels provided an optimal solution for keeping crickets at prime temperatures, especially in the frozen storage portion of the facility.
While the integrated component is not new to the industry, the demand for an energy-efficient and time-efficient system for the building envelope remains high.