The Springfield Town Center in Springfield, Va., has welcomed its share of shoppers since opening in the early 1970s and was overdue for a renovation. Architects specified Envelope 2000 Metal Composite Material from Citadel Architectural Products for the project because of its durability as well as its appearance.

“Each retailer is responsible for its own storefront so we were responsible for the neutral or common areas of the renovation,” says Louis Margitan, RA, NCARB, senior associate at JPRA Architects in Farmington Hills, Mich. “Our job was to downplay to the retailers so their brands pop.”

The 1.3-million square foot shopping mall features more than 85 specialty retailers and serves the most populous region of the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area.

Approximately 26,400 square feet of Silver Metallic Envelope 2000 metal composite material (MCM) was installed using the Rout & Return (RR) system in phases over a 10-month period. Silver Metallic offers a high-end look without stealing attention from the brightly colored, branded storefronts.

Margitan says JPRA Architects regularly specifies products from Citadel, calling the manufacturer the firm’s “workhorse.”

Envelope 2000 is a composite panel for exterior use, manufactured by bonding an aluminum skin to a substrate of thermoset phenolic resin. A second skin is added as a backer and provides thermal stability and panel balance. “The thermoset phenolic resin core on this system offers a better impact resistance than products from other manufacturers,” Margitan says. “It’s more hail resistant and stands up better in storms and weather. We wanted a product that won’t require maintenance, replacing or anything that cuts into the bottom line.”

The standard thickness for Envelope 2000 is 4mm, with 3mm, 6mm and 8mm also available.

Margitan says the project was completed on time, but under an aggressive schedule. Tecta America East LLC Architectural Metals of Jessup, Md., completed the install of the Envelope 2000 system.

“This was our first time working with panels from Citadel Architectural Products, but we’ve had experience with similar products,” says Brian McClelland, vice president of Tecta America East, “Our installers are very experienced and it went great.”

The only installation challenge, according to McClelland, was where the bridges came to the buildings. “These portals had panels on the exterior, the interior and on the ceiling,” he says. “Some of the structure changed from the drawings, which happens, so we had to make adjustments to that.”

Some of those panels were fabricated onsite, but most of the fabrication was completed in-house by Architectural Metal Designs of Millville, N.J.

“There’s always going to be some hidden existing conditions with a renovation, so there were some minor field modifications, but that’s standard with a renovation like this,” Margitan says. “A renovation will always provide that challenge that doesn’t exist in a new construction project where you’re building from the ground up.”

A year after the completion of the project, Margitan says everyone is happy with the appearance and durability of the Envelope 2000 system.