Metal Architecture, June 2015

market feature Museums Libraries and Cultural Centers Paint changes colors on aquarium Mark Thompson Architect AIBC MRAIC ANZIA LEED AP BD C partner at Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership in Vancouver British Columbia Canada says a new 55000 square foot Vancouver Aquarium building in Stanley Park has walls with a curved organic form intended to evoke animal life and water Stanley Park borders downtown Vancouver and is surrounded on three sides by the Pacific Ocean The design team wanted the cladding for the 45 million expansion and renovation to mimic fish scales and started with a review of colored materials that could achieve this effect he says Approximately 12000 square feet of Statesville N C based 3A Composites USA Inc s 4 mm thick Alucobond aluminum composite material ACM with a Spectra Sakura color finish was installed on the aquarium in a pressure equalized wall system The ACM cladding changes colors from green to pink hues The curvilinear design fits with Stanley Parks 32 METAL ARCHITECTURE June 2015 www metalarchitecture com large trees and pools of water and the aquariums outdoor exhibits that wind in and out of fixed natural areas Thompson says The material also had to be durable he says In a salt water environment the buildings cladding had to be corrosive resistant Additionally we needed a low maintenance material because this is a major public building Thompson says the green to pink combination fit in Stanley Park because it was subtle As you move around the building you see a change in coloration he says And as the sun moves across the building it changes color as well The curve looked good with the Sakura it really produced the desired effect Keith Panel Systems Co Ltd of Vancouver fabricated and installed 580 Alucobond Spectra Sakura panels in five sizes The Alucobond Spectra Sakura panels were installed on the walls with a staggered panel joint layout intended to heighten the fishscale effect The fish scale look produced with Photos Ema Peter the Spectra Sakura is definitely a feature of these walls Thompson says We were looking for an architectural element that was uniquely evocative of the aquariums mission Carlo Gatti business development manager at Keith Panel Systems says Spectra Sakura was chosen because it provided the marine life aesthetic that the architect wanted The underwater effect was enhanced with horizontal LED light strips placed in a random pattern within the reveals of the wall panel system he says Richmond British Columbia based PCL Constructors Westcoast Inc was the general contractor for the project which was completed in June 2014 Panels were field measured to ensure a proper fit at all of the detail interfaces The panels were installed with Keith Panel Systems system A a dry joint compartmentalized and pressure equalized rainscreen system Gatti says the design approach produced a cost