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Corporate Social Responsibility
News
3.13.2007 - 03:09pm ET
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Alcoa's Kawneer Architectural Products Help in the Design of "Green" Building
From Brownfield to Shining Star: "LEED" -ing the Way in Little Rock – Heifer International World Headquarters
(CSRwire) NEW YORK- March 13, 2007- Alcoa (NYSE:AA) announced today that a wide range
of the company’s Kawneer architectural aluminum products and systems were
used in the construction of a new "green" headquarters building designed
for Heifer International, a non profit organization based in Little Rock,
Arkansas. Kawneer teamed with the architect and glazing contractor to
construct the building with careful consideration for the U.S. Green
Building’s Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) certification standards.
Heifer International provides livestock and plants as well as training in
sustainable agriculture for disadvantaged families worldwide. The
organization needed a larger headquarters, but wanted the project to
remain true to the earth's resources. Heifer identified a long-abandoned
railroad yard in Little Rock’s old warehouse district, an
environmentally dirty site, known as a brownfield, and made the decision
to transform it – the "green" way.
Polk Stanley Rowland Curzon Porter Architects, Ltd. developed the
building’s design, capturing every opportunity to achieve LEED points.
Glazing contractor ACE Glass Company, Inc. and product manufacturer/design
engineering team from Kawneer North America were called in to collaborate
on the project. Completed in March 2006, the project is expected to
receive its LEED certification in 2007.
The project showcases a range of Kawneer products, which is part of
Alcoa's global Building and Construction Systems (BCS) business unit
headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
Design Highlights
The curved shape of the building served to take advantage of the solar
orientation by stretching in an east/west direction and maximizing sun
exposure. To block excessive sunlight, the team integrated sunshades into
the exterior, while Kawneer’s InLighten (light shelves) were installed
on the interior of the wall to "bounce" natural light up to the ceiling
and reflect it into the building.
Deeper, custom sun shades were created to be hung vertically between the
punchouts, a unique design feature that served to be both aesthetically
pleasing and functional, as they protect the interior from both east and
west sun exposure.
The combination of the building's narrow floor plate and the curtain wall
allows natural light to penetrate to the center of every floor, while
strategic interior glazing continues the indoor/outdoor aesthetic and
keeps individual offices bright and open. Fixed and storefront framing
systems, in conjunction with swing and sliding entrances, were used
throughout the interior offices and conference rooms. In addition, clean
glass, and white frost and green glass added to a light and modern
aesthetic.
Challenges
The complex design required the customization of several existing Kawneer
products, and the curved building footprint complicated fabrication.
The increased focus on recycled materials (per the Materials & Resources
category under LEED) required the coordination of a sizeable order of
secondary aluminum billet necessary for the project. (In fact, 97 percent
of the building materials used for the project contain recycled content.)
Featured Kawneer Products
1600 Wall System 1, 1600 SunShade, Inlighten (light shelf), Trifab Framing
System, 350 Medium Stile Entrances, 1010 Sliding Mall Fronts, 990 Sliding
Doors
About Kawneer North American
Celebrating more than 100 years of innovation and experience, Kawneer
North America is headquartered in Norcross, GA, and is the leading
manufacturer of architectural aluminum products and systems for the
commercial construction industry. Alcoa BCS manufactures and markets
architectural systems and products in North America, Europe, Asia and the
Middle East. For more information on Kawneer or its products, please visit
www.kawneer.com.
About Alcoa
Alcoa is the world's leading producer and manager of primary aluminum,
fabricated aluminum and alumina facilities, and is active in all major
aspects of the industry. Alcoa serves the aerospace, automotive,
packaging, building and construction, commercial transportation and
industrial markets, bringing design, engineering, production and other
capabilities of Alcoa's businesses to customers. In addition to aluminum
products and components, Alcoa also markets consumer brands including
Reynolds Wrap® foils and plastic wraps, Alcoa® wheels, and Baco®
household wraps. Among its other businesses are closures, fastening
systems, precision castings, and electrical distribution systems for cars
and trucks. The company has 123,000 employees in 44 countries and has been
named one of the top most sustainable corporations in the world at the
World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. More information can be found
at www.alcoa.com
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