Classic Car Custom Match
To identify the perfect color for Reels and Wheels, Marlon Blackwell took "a deep dive. We extensively researched the colors of the automotive industry from the '50s and '60s," said Blackwell. Their search led them to the Carroll Shelby's 1967 Mustang Shelby Cobra GT500 and its green-gold metallic flake coating popularized by custom car painter Dean Jeffries.

Blackwell remembered this was only the first step. "The question was how close can we get to this classic look? Working with the team at Sherwin-Williams, the challenge wasn't so much on matching the color, but rather how much flake was needed to achieve the metallic effect. This was in 2017, before Sherwin-Williams introduced its Fluropon® Effects Nova coatings. Our custom coating for Thaden was a precursor to those."

Fluropon SR 70% PVDF resin-based architectural coatings by Sherwin-Williams contain solar-reflective pigments that were combined with a metallic clear coat to achieve Thaden School's ideal finish. Today, Sherwin-Williams also offers Fluropon Effects Nova coatings providing rich, deep hues with a gold or silver sparkle.

Applied to meet the most stringent industry specification, AAMA 2605, the finished metal panels added a specialty metallic clear topcoat to maximize sparkle and enhance color intensity. The solar-reflective pigments in Fluropon SR helps to resist heat absorption, contributing to the buildings' energy efficiency. The energy-efficient coating also supports ENERGY STAR®, U.S. Green Building Council's LEED® and Cool Roof Rating Council program criteria. The school buildings' dashboards and other features enable students to monitor their consumption of energy, food and water, and to appreciate the global impact of local behavior.

Metal Shell with Syncopated Ribs
"Morin coordinated everything with the finisher to ensure the specified performance and appearance," said Blackwell. "The metal panels were finished in the same color and coating, then installed on the roof and exterior walls. The result is this protective green-gold outer metal shell, composed with syncopated ribs, over a softer underbelly of clear-coated plywood, carefully placed openings and large entry porches."

On the Reels building, Morin Corp. provided more than 37,000 square feet of aluminum panels, including its Matrix Series® integrated concealed fastener rainscreen wall panel system. "We had four different panel profiles that were randomized to create the dynamic pattern on the building's roof and walls," Blackwell explained. "We worked closely with Morin and the Milestone Construction to make sure we achieved this great effect. The color of that green truly takes on a dynamic quality as it reflects light throughout the day."

Doug Matthews, regional sales manager for Morin Corp., noted, "The design impact of variable panels and the shadows and dimensional depth to these panels, as well as angular cuts, play well with the 'curiosity and creativity' theme of the overall campus."

Helping successfully implement the design, Morin also provided its standard on-site roll forming and curving services to support the project's technical aspects and installation. "There were a lot of details on the trim and edging, multiple profiles for custom look on the walls, custom color matches, roll forming and on-site support. It's a culmination of working with the architect, the installer and G.C. to manage all the parts and pieces," said Matthews. "The resulting project is a stunning complete metal skin system."

Faceted, Folded Form
The campus took cues from the region's many chicken farms. These land parcels tend to be organized in an east-west orientation and with multiple agricultural structures. Split to become a 'Y' shaped plan, the Reels building has a predominantly east-west orientation to control solar gain and its folded form creates ever-changing light conditions, reaching out to the landscape and bringing in the sky. In addition to adapting heritage farmstead practices, Reels' and Wheels' metal rooflines also "pitch and roll" to evoke flight paying tribute to modern innovation and the area's history of flight.

"The Reels building transforms the simple, vernacular form of a poultry house with subtle shifts in plan and section into a spacious, light‐filled academic building," elaborated Blackwell. "Bifurcated to become a 'Y' shaped plan, the Reels building has a predominantly east‐west orientation to control solar gain. The split in plan also reduces the overall length, while ensuring each of the academic spaces within have ample daylight."

In the center of the building, a large, covered breezeway connects the three wings of the Y-shape, providing space to gather and have outdoor classes. "The faceted, folded form provides each space with its own sectional character with ever‐changing light conditions, reaching out to the landscape and bringing in the sky," described Blackwell. "At the southern end, the roof springs upwards, gesturing to the main road at the historic Thaden home nearby. The sudden change in height balances the otherwise long, low form of the Reels building."

Imagining Louise Thaden viewing the school campus from the air, she would see its symmetrical elegance: The performing arts center and great hall buildings are finished in white anchoring the northeast and southwest corners, and the Reels and Wheels buildings sparkle in metallic green on the opposite corners. The structures integrate with gardens, pedestrian pathways and an extensive trail network throughout Northwest Arkansas to connect Thaden School with its community, its culture, its ecology, its history and its aspirations for the future.