Paneltec Corporation fabricated aluminum honeycomb panels for installation atop the new University of Colorado Medical Library building in Aurora, CO. There are 4 repeated custom shapes, 20 sandwich panels in total, that comprise this sculpture measuring 40 feet across.
This project, designed by Davis Partnership Architects, and installed by Steelstar Corporation, was quite a challenge. They originally designed for snow load, but the wind loading became the critical factor. Denver-area winters commonly bring winds of 80 to 100 mph. They went back to the drawing board to modify these to act as airfoils engineered to 125 mph windloading. DeWayne Howell of Peak Composites Inc. did the final engineering.
The size and weight was considerably greater than our normal jobs, but with special layup surfaces and some custom material handling devices we completed the job to spec and on time.
