The North Hall on the Oklahoma State University (OSU) campus in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was built to house new labs, conference rooms, and learning spaces, including a contemporary foyer featuring a dramatic 30-ft high feature wall system of trapezoidal-shaped aluminum panels and integrated LED lighting. The stunning wall system, manufactured by Gordon, Incorporated, is a work of art that is sure to captivate all visitors in an everlasting appreciation for modern architectural design.
The North Hall on the university’s campus was built to house new labs, conference rooms, and learning spaces, including a contemporary foyer featuring a dramatic 30-ft high feature wall system of trapezoidal-shaped aluminum panels and integrated LED lighting. The stunning wall system is a work of art that is sure to captivate all visitors in an everlasting appreciation for modern architectural design.
The architect and the manufacturer partnered in the design of the complex feature wall, working closely together to ensure project requirements were met and achievable through manufacturing and material parameters. The architect provided conceptual drawings for the manufacturer to proceed with engineering. Design alternatives were submitted by the manufacturer for architectural approval and finalized with mock-ups, capturing the design objectives and the vision for the completed installation.
Color samples were submitted for the selection of the desired color to match the university’s BRIGHT ORANGE color theme. The resulting color selections were the perfect solution to achieve consistency and continuity with existing tones throughout the interior spaces. Due to the high potential for damage, the finish supplied was a factory-applied AAMA 2604 powder coat, providing superior performance for high impact, chemical, and UV resistance.
The modernistic wall system design also required LED light fixtures to integrate with wall panels. The manufacturer’s product development team created a new partnership with LED providers to present a design solution for this project, which ultimately paved the way to launch a new product line.
A mockup of the wall system with integrated light extrusions was built and shipped for the design team’s review and final approval. During the building of the mock-up, the wall system design was enhanced and fine-tuned, installation guidelines were determined, and several unique conditions that would require field cutting were eliminated, thus ensuring ease of installation of formed assemblies.
Given the complexity of this wall system, comprised of LED light reveals intersecting at numerous locations and multiple shapes of panels, the manufacturer assumed additional responsibility to ensure fit and function by creating a 3-dimensional model of the entire wall system prior to fabrication. Floor templates were created from the AutoCAD fabrication drawings, representing all the component parts and accessories. Each component was audited for quality and tolerances and laid out on the master floor template to ensure an assembled fit and function. Following meticulous protocols during the powder coating finish process and quality checks, component parts were labeled and packaged for ultimate product protection during transit to the job site.
The end result is extraordinary, showing comprehensive design features meeting the aesthetic intent for the space. This innovative project is truly a work of art and highly worthy of consideration for receiving a 2023 CISCA Construction Excellence Award.