Valley Park Fire Protection District Headquarters Chooses Total Rainscreen Solution

When architectural firm JEMA was commissioned to design a new headquarters for the Valley Park Fire Protection District in Valley Park, Missouri, principal JEMA architect Steve Hoover knew this municipal facility would remain a vital part of its community for a long period of time. In considering building materials for the exterior walls, the St. Louis-based firm was looking for a long-lasting solution that would require minimal maintenance while simulating the aesthetic appearance of a zinc finish.

The building site itself presented an additional challenge. The two story, 22,000-square-foot building was to be constructed on a sloping site, with multipurpose community and administrative areas situated on the ground floor, and an upper floor with private areas for the firefighters and an apparatus bay and supporting facilities above. 

As Hoover explains, “This building is next to a main thoroughfare and near a residential neighborhood, so it was important that its scale not overpower the area. We didn’t want it to appear too massive, to overwhelm the neighborhood, so we needed a metal panel at a more pedestrian scale.”

The design combines a stone façade and expansive daylighting for the lower floor with metal panels and narrower windows on top. 

When Hoover was introduced to the IMETCO Legacy shingle-style aluminum cladding system in a Carbon Cast hue, “the finish was right in line with what we were looking for.” Best of all, from his client’s perspective, IMETCO was able to provide a single source for the air barrier, insulation, and the rainscreen cladding for a totally integrated watertight system. 

Installing the Wall System

General contractor L. Keeley Construction, a Missouri-based construction company with a national reputation for quality and service, used a plan and spec process to select De Soto, Missouri-based installer Sheet Metal Contractors, Inc. (SMCI) to install the exterior walls. This was the installer’s first opportunity to work with the IMETCO suite of metal wall products.

“At SMCI, we pride ourselves on doing quality work,” says field superintendent Mike Hickson. “Of course, there is always a learning curve when you are working with a new product. But we had two foremen on site, and the IMETCO rep, Anthony Chiarizio, made regular site visits. Anthony was really good about answering questions and pointing us in the right direction. We don’t typically do the air barrier, but IMETCO provided everything needed to wrap the windows and doors for a total rainscreen system. We’re all extremely happy with the result.” 

According to Chiarizio, IMETCO’s architectural sales representative, “We were able to provide a 10-year warranty on the IntelliScreen rainscreen system. Every project is unique, and with Valley Park, one installer had to tie in the air barrier system under a façade with a stone veneer on the lower floor and the sheet metal installer had to tie in the air barrier under these beautiful metal panels on the upper floor — without compromising the rainscreen or the watertightness of the building envelope. Both installers did a great job.”

The IMETCO system integrates the IntelliWrap air barrier membrane with ROCKWOOL stone wool-based insulation for thermal efficiency, the IntelliFrame ventilated structural framing system (including hat channels and zee girts) to facilitate drying, and the interlocking Legacy wall panels.

To ensure a seamless installation process, Hickson and his team agreed to create a mock-up of the metal panels for the architect to view and approve. Hoover recalls, “Metal panels can give a building a more industrial feel. We wanted to make sure the material would complement the adjacent stone and that the scale would be right. Given the nature and size of the panels, the mock-ups were a big ask, but Sheet Metal Contractors worked with us to make sure we’d be happy with the end product.”

Chiarizio agrees. “SMC did a first-rate job, and the design is absolutely gorgeous,” he says. “This building is a perfect demonstration of form following function.”

TEAM

Architect: JEMA, St. Louis, Missouri, jemastl.com

General Contractor: L. Keeley Construction, St. Louis, Missouri, keeleyconstruction.com

Installing Contractor: Sheet Metal Contractors, Inc., DeSoto, Missouri, smcihvac.com

MATERIALS

Wall Panels: Legacy in Carbon Cast, IMETCO, imetco.com

Air Barrier: IntelliWrap, IMETCO

Framing System: IntelliFrame, IMETCO

Insulation: ROCKWOOL, rockwool.com