STAFF REPORT
Glasgow News 1
Members of the Project Development Board recently gave the go ahead on various external materials that will be used on the soon-to-be-completed Barren County Judicial Center.
During a March 25 meeting, board members reviewed and approved a package of exterior materials presented by Adam Gillett, associate principal with Integrity Architecture.
Gillett walked members through physical samples and a rendering of the building.
The first floor of the judicial center will be clad in cast stone with three different textures: chiseled, split-faced and smooth. They described this band of stone as evoking the striations seen when entering a cave, tying the building’s base to its surroundings, Gillett said.
Site walls near the building are expected to use the same family of stone so the retaining walls and structure read as part of the same visual composition, according to Gillett. Above that base, tower elements of the building will use a different cast stone intended to appear more uniform in color.
The main mass of the second and third floors will be built in a blended brick with some color variation, but not a bright red tone. Mortar will be selected to complement the brick. Metal elements are also a major part of the design, according to the presentation. Aluminum composite material will form a pavilion at the first floor and the sunshades set into the brick portions of the facade, using a metallic finish that reflects light without appearing stark white. Additional metal pieces will be used around first-floor windows and doors and on the rooftop penthouse, with colors chosen to harmonize with the cast stone, Gillett said.
He also outlined plans for several types of glass. Typical glazing will have a low-intensity coating and slight tint to reduce glare and heat. Some upper areas above ceilings will use glass with a painted backing so those sections visually read as an extension of the windows. Areas requiring higher security will use laminated, impact-resistant glazing.
“These are generally very well aligned with what was intended during design, but we always go through this process during construction to make sure the actual samples meet our intent, color selections, and for that matter availability and practicality,” Gillett said.
Board members were told that all of the approved materials will be assembled into a mock-up panel on the construction site. The mock-up is expected to show how the stone, brick, metal and glass work together at full scale before those finishes are installed across the entire building.
An external material drawing provided by Integrity Architect Associate Principal Adam Gillett
Construction is also progressing as planned, according to Alliance Corporation executive vice president and chief operation officer Tim Geegan.
