Speed of Construction, Durability Required for Office

The owners of Electronics for Imaging (EFI) had high expectations moving into a new east coast headquarters in Londonderry, N.H. Versatility, durability, ease and speed of construction as well as aesthetics all played a role in the selection of insulated metal panels from Metl-Span for the 185,000 square foot project – that’s a little more than four acres!

EFI is a worldwide provider of products, technology and services leading the transformation of analog to digital imaging. EFI designs, engineers and manufactures large format inkjet printers as well as the inks.

The new building is comprised of three parts, including 39,200 square feet for a two-story office, demo and training area; 100,800 square feet of room dedicated to engineering, product development and manufacturing; and 45,200 square feet of warehouse.

“IMPs were selected for their aesthetics, insulation value and ease of installation,” says Keith Wentworth, Vice President at Dutton & Garfield of Hampstead, N.H. “The panels are a single-step process compared to other exterior cladding assemblies that include anywhere from two to three or four steps and multiple trades. IMPs provide a weathertight building quicker than traditional methods.”

Dutton & Garfield installed four different Metl-Span insulated metal panels:

Striated in Regal Gray (4,756 square feet)
TuffWall in Textured White (14,199 square feet)
Light Mesa in Polar White (27,642 square feet)
Mesa in Igloo White (2,472 square feet)

“We’ve worked with this product before and we’ve been quite pleased with the results,” says Steve Burnell, AIA Architect, Burnell-Johnson Architects of Manchester, N.H. “The textured panel has a desirable aesthetic, as opposed to a metal building. It’s just a nice finish.

“Because of the size of this project – it’s about 185,000 square feet – there were plenty of challenges, mostly with the mechanical workings inside the facility. So, it was nice to work with the insulated metal panel which is a one-stop weathertight system. It’s the interior wall, the insulation and the exterior wall in one product.”

Dutton & Garfield used a 40-ton crane to set the panels, which were moved from the staging area to the work area with an all-terrain forklift. “The men worked out of boom lifts to attach the panels to the building,” Wentworth says. “Although we typically would use a vacuum lifting machine, we chose not to because a large portion of the panels were TuffWall and the machine doesn’t work well on that type of panel.”

Wentworth says the project was a huge success. “Everyone, most importantly the owner, thinks the building looks great,” he says. “They were able to consolidate multiple locations and are more efficient and generate more income. It’s their new home and they are proud to show it off to customers and the community.”