Project Specs:
Location: Southern California
Application: Sunshades on Student Housing Building
Product: NPG Architectural Resin Square Mesh Molded Grating
Overview
An architectural firm from downtown Los Angeles took over the student housing renewal project for a university in California. This project consisted of adding sunshades to cover the dorm rooms - giving the building a unique and urban appearance. These sunshades protect the dorm rooms from the sun, help keep the buildings cool, and serve as protective barriers.
Problem
At first, the architectural firm wanted to use coated aluminum mesh panels; however, the saline environment would corrode the aluminum because this application is very close to the ocean. The main goals of this project were aesthetics, sustainability, and convenience which is why Fibergrate’s engineers, project managers, and territory sales manager made sure that the products used for this application covered the following:
- Corrosion Resistance – These products needed to be corrosion resistant because this building is only 1/8 miles away from the ocean (highly corrosive salt air environment).
- UV Resistance – It was important to use grating that had maximum UV resistance to prevent the grating from deterioriting in the future.
- Low Installation Cost – The application was done on a six-story building; the client wanted to be able to complete the installation without any setbacks.
- Low Maintenance – “Long term” is the phrase the architect in charge of the project used when he described the material that he envisioned for these sunscreens to the territory sales manager.
Solution
Fibergrate’s territory sales manager had previously worked with the architectural firm on a similar project, and after revisiting that site and seeing the conditions of that application, the architects realized FRP was the ideal choice for this project. Even though they had a positive experience with the territory sales manager in the past, the decisive factors were the aesthetics of the product and the perfomance of Fibergrate FRP in this environment. These FRP panels enhanced the visuals of the building and covered the following needs:
- Corrosion Resistance – Molded grating can withstand the saltwater environment and will help the client avoid replacement costs in the future.
- UV Resistance – NPG architectural resin is ideal for sun exposed applications and was used for this project. This grating has maximum UV resistance.
- Low Installation Cost – The installation took place on a six-story building. These FRP panels can be easily and quickly installed without using heavy equipment or heavy machinery.
- Low Maintenance – The main reason why they chose fiberglass reinforced plastic over aluminum was because they were not willing to replace this application in the foreseeable future. FRP offers sustainability and the long term solution the client was looking for.
After the installation was completed, the territory sales manager followed up with the architectural firm, and it is safe to say they are very happy and consider the project to be unique and outstanding. This could not have been possible without the combined efforts of Fibergrate’s engineering team, project manager, and territory sales manager
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