Alcoa (NYSE:AA) announced today that its Reynobond® aluminum composite material (ACM) was selected for the canopy of the new Piedmont Arrendale Amphitheater at Piedmont College in Georgia.
Deftly sculpted to match the natural contours of the gentle slopes bordering the wetlands preserve at Piedmont College, the canopy cuts a striking profile against the wilderness directly behind center stage.
Alcoa Architectural Products’ Reynobond® aluminum composite material used for the canopy of the new Piedmont Arrendale Amphitheater at Piedmont College in Georgia creates quite a stage presence for the 500-seat amphitheater. The flexible Alcoa material was shaped and cut to create the aesthetics envisioned by the architects, is lightweight, and requires little maintenance or refinishing.
Architects Armentrout Roebuck Matheny Consulting Group of Athens, Georgia, designed the state-of-the-art outdoor entertainment venue with an infrastructure that could accommodate everything from Piedmont College performances to larger-scale commercial productions.
“The actual design of the canopy was shaped in large part to provide the proper acoustics and sight lines for the sloped seating areas, as well as solar modeled to optimize the shading during the warmer summer months,” said architect James Blythe.
“Reynobond ACM was our first choice for the skin of the canopy for several reasons,” continued Blythe. “We needed a material that would hold up well over time, with little to no maintenance or refinishing; that is lightweight with excellent dimensional stability so we could make the supporting structure as efficient as possible; and that could be shaped and cut to create the aesthetic our design team envisioned from the concept stages of the project. We felt that a traditional material wouldn’t do the canopy’s faceted shape the proper justice it deserved, or that it would keep its shape and appearance over time. Given the great deal of finish and color options that are standard for ACM, it made sense from multiple angles.”
Five thousand square feet of Reynobond ACM, Platinum Colorweld® 300XL finish was used for the canopy.
“The faceted geometry of the canopy made it very difficult to field measure this project. Each panel had to be cut to size in order to get the facets of each geometric shape just right,” said Herman Kistler of Kistler McDougall, who fabricated and installed the roofing material.
“We couldn’t be happier with the results of this project,” concluded Blythe. “In fact, we found that Reynobond ACM is much easier to design with than we previously envisioned and anticipate using it in future work. The client and donors are also very pleased with the outcome, and look forward to the low maintenance and clean look for years to come.”
The Piedmont Arrendale Amphitheater was honored by the 2010 Metal Architecture Design Awards as the winner in the metal roof category. The 500-seat amphitheater with overflow grass seating opened in October 2009.
Source: http://www.alcoa.com/