The growing Blount Community Church of Maryville, Tenn., was in need of a new facility, including areas for worship, daycare and classrooms. The affordable solution was to erect metal building framing and install insulated metal panels (IMPs) from Metl-Span.

“The congregation wanted an inexpensive facility that wasn’t just code compliant, but better than code compliant,” says Dan Brittain, AIA, an associate with Michael Brady Inc. of Knoxville, Tenn. “The idea of insulated metal panels was a hard sell at first, but a little education about the energy efficiency benefits and durability helped. When I proposed the insulated metal panels and it came in under budget, we were given the go-ahead.”

Designed as Phase 1 of a multi-phased project, the new 24,000-square-foot facility includes a 700-seat sanctuary, large greeting area, church offices, daycare rooms and a youth group room. The project included public utility extensions, a new highway entrance drive and 300 parking spaces.

The metal building framing was manufactured by A&S Building Systems of Andersonville, Tenn. Metl-Span’s IMPs were installed as wall panels and the facility was topped with a 24-gauge SuperLok standing seam roofing system from MBCI.

“I didn’t want to do a big metal barn,” Brittain says. “We used a flush panel in some areas and a corrugated panel that provided some good shadow lines. There has been a lot of positive feedback from the community about the appearance and the efficiency.”

Metl-Span provided three IMP profiles, all 26-gauge Galvalume in a thickness of 2-1/2 inches, for the project: Mesa Insulated Panel in Midnight Bronze; 7.2 Insul-RibTM in Midnight Bronze; and Architectural Flat Insulated Panel in Spruce.

“It was a learning experience for us,” says Bobby Chavis, owner of T&B Erectors and Construction of Clinton, Tenn. “This was the first project of this size I’ve installed insulated metal panels. I like the building, I like the panels and we got no complaints.”

T&B Erectors and Construction works exclusively in the commercial and institutional metal building markets.

“I’ve never installed a horizontal panel before. The light green panels were installed horizontally. Once we did the first couple it went fine. The different panels really give it a great look.”

Chavis says the profile variety of IMPs from Metl-Span helped the aesthetics of the worship facility. “It really is a very nice building and I’m not saying that because I installed the panels,” he says. “I’m just an erector. The building design and the products selected really made this a great project.”

In addition to installing the IMPs, T&B installed the gutters as well as the MBCI SuperLok standing seam metal roofing panels, a 24-gauge Galvalume system.

Architect: Michael Brady Inc., Knoxville, Tenn.
General Contractor: Johnson & Galyon, Knoxville, Tenn.
Installer: T&B Erectors and Construction, Clinton, Tenn.