13 minute read
Terra Cotta Scores At Big Ten Headquarters
A terra-cotta rainscreen and continuous exterior insulation make the athletic conference’s headquarters a winner.
Above. The façade of the 50,000-sq.-ft. Big Ten headquarters building features a terra-cotta rainscreen wall system.
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Above, inset. The two large, round columns at the front entrance to the Big Ten building are also clad in terra cotta. T he façade of the new Big Ten headquarters building needed to accomplish several things. First, it had to reflect the professionalism of the athletic conference while connecting with its collegiate base. Second, while creating a new image for the Big Ten, it needed to stand out from its neighbors in the MB Financial Park in Rosemont, IL. Finally, since the ground floor of the building would house an interactive Big Ten Experience museum and a Fogo de Chao Brazilian steakhouse, the entrance needed to present an inviting vibe to welcome the general public.
Indianapolis-based RATIO Architects fulfilled all of those goals while designing an energy-efficient and economical LEED-certified building by using a terra-cotta rainscreen wall system for the 50,000-sq.-ft., three-story building.
RATIO architect Jeff Milliken selected 12 x 48-in. modules of bright red-orange color, smooth-finish Zéphir Evolution terra-cotta panels by Terreal North America, New Lexington, OH, for the project’s façade. “It has a rich, vibrant color to it that allows the Big Ten building to stand out,” Milliken said. He worked with Terreal product representative RAM North America, Arcadia, IN, to furnish the panels. The use of terra cotta pays tribute to Chicago’s tradition of brick or terra-cotta-clad steel buildings. “We wanted to tap into that lineage and use it in a modern way,” Milliken said.
Above. The use of terra cotta on the new athletic conference building pays tribute to Chicago’s tradition of brick or terra-cotta-clad steel buildings.
Right. The Big Ten building used continuous insulation that covers all structural elements, with the exception of windows, doors, and fasteners, greatly improving energy efficiency.
A MODERN TAKE Milliken had used terra cotta in previous projects, but the Big Ten headquarters was the first project in the world to use Terreal’s Zéphir Evolution system, an enhanced version of the original Zéphir. The new version comes in large-panel modules in 15 standard through-body colors in six surface textures and 15 additional standard glazed colors.
The red-orange terra cotta color is created using a single-clay composition, but individual panels have natural color variations. “When you look at the building in different lighting conditions and from different angles, the natural color variations provide great depth and interest to the building
façade,” said Rob Wehr, general manager for Terreal North America.
Milliken suggests architects obtain several samples of a single color so they can see the color variations. He also recommended they explore the different textures of the tile. “I’m intrigued to study the use of the various textures available in future projects,” he said.
From a construction viewpoint, the unique feature of Zéphir Evolution is the extruded clay cleats on each piece of tile. These self-supporting cleats eliminate the need for metal support clips during the installation process, which reduces installation costs and speeds the construction process. Shiplap detailing along its horizontal edges gives it a contemporary appearance while enhancing the system’s overall performance.
Terra-cotta rainscreen systems have been popular in Europe for 25 years, but Wehr stated that interest in using the systems has increased throughout the United States in recent years.
With an open-joint rainscreen system, the pressure is equalized in the space between two exterior wall components so weather elements don’t reach the inner wall (rainscreen), which contains the moisture barrier and other critical components. The building is mold and mildew resistant.
“It’s a technology that produces a better-performing wall system,” Milliken said. “There’s virtually no maintenance required over time.”
Terreal partners with RAM North America Inc., which provides custom-fabricated components for Terreal’s exterior terra-cotta wall systems and sunshades for installations around the U.S. For the Big Ten, RAM furnished the insulation, designed the sunscreen installation system, and fabricated all of the custom, painted reveals and trims installed on the façade.
OVERCOMING CHALLENGES Currently, few terra-cotta rainscreen systems have been built in the Chicago area, so it was no surprise that the Big Ten project’s construction manager, Hoffman Estates, IL-based Leopardo Cos. wasn’t familiar with the process. That created some initial challenges.
“We worked with RAM to find other projects that had been done with this product to get a better understanding of what it would look like, how it would come together, and who were the trades that would be best-suited for installation,” said Leigh McMillen, Leopardo vice president and principal in charge of the project. “We also worked with RAM to find the appropriate subcontractors that were trained and experienced in installing these systems.”
The exterior cold-formed metal framing, which had to support the rainscreen system to resist the wind and snow loads for the Chicago area, posed another series of challenges. How should the carpentry contractor engineer the framing to support the rainscreen system? And how would the framing integrate with the rainscreen system?
Now that the Big Ten building is completed, would McMillen entertain working with terra cotta again? “Absolutely,” she said. “It has a beautiful look to it. And once everyone understands how the systems come together and it’s coordinated, it all goes together very quickly. It created a very attractive building that stands out as the centerpiece of the Rosemont entertainment district.”
WALLS ENGINEERED TO LAST Originally the project had been designed to use panels with 12 x 24-in. dimensions, so Terreal reengineered and fabricated the sub-framing system to accommodate the newer 48-in. panels. “Our design had lots of strong, horizontal lines, so the 4-ft.-long tiles fit the look nicely.” Milliken said. Their solution was to run the aluminum rainscreen girts on a 45-deg. angle. “It was a smart way to do it,” said RAM senior project manager Jim Yeary. “It eliminated a layer of metal, which saved money, and by angling it at 45 deg., there’s no longer any left-to-right move
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ment. It makes a really strong building.”
The Big Ten building used commercial-grade insulation from Portland, ME-based Hunter Panels that had just been introduced on the market—Xci Class A exterior continuous insulation. The insulation used on the Big Ten building was manufactured at the local Hunter plant in Chicago. Hunter Panels entered the vertical wall market with an extensive library of NFPA 285-approved assemblies, and has more than 80 different wall assemblies that are lightweight and easy to cut and install. “We wanted to use this one because it’s made for rainscreen systems,” Yeary said.
Using continuous insulation that covers all structural elements, with the exception of windows, doors, and fasteners, greatly improves energy efficiency. Xci Class A, a polyisocyanurate foam-board insulation with embossed foil facers on both sides, offers R-values from 6.3 to 19.5 in a single layer. “In a similar thickness, polyiso has a higher R-value than most competitors’ products,” said Jim De Francisco, area manufacturer’s representative for Hunter. “And at a competitive price.”
RAM fabricated the diagonal framing components and Indianapolis-based Quality Interiors Inc., a company RAM had worked with on other projects, installed it. “There was a lot of preplanning and scheduling with suppliers,” Yeary said. “The way the modules were laid out, everything had to line up perfectly. Quality Interiors did an excellent job of lasering out the building, and the window manufacturers and everyone else worked together to make sure the penetrations were in the right spots, because this coordination produces a quality building with terra cotta.”
Once the aluminum support rail was in place, it was simply a matter of fitting the panels into place. “Zéphir Evolution is easy to install, and the labor rate to install it is typically lower than other terra-cotta systems that use aluminum clips that have to be screwed to the support framing,” Wehr said.
FINISHING TOUCHES AND TRIMS The two large, round columns at the front entrance to the Big Ten building are also clad in terra cotta. “The round columns support a canopy that provides a dramatic and welcoming entrance,” Milliken said. Custom radius panels with double walls and hollow cores were designed and manufactured to cover the columns.
Terreal Shamal sunshades in red-orange color serve a functional and a decorative purpose. “It’s a nice detail to take the material used for the wall cladding and use it in the sunshade,” Milliken said. “It adds another dimension to the façade.”
It took less than six months to install the terra-cotta façade and McMillen said the comments have all been, “extremely positive. People enjoy the color and the scale of the terra cotta tiles.”
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DATA CACHE
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Watch a video on the Hunter Xci Watch a video on the product line.
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