111 E GRAND

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Black ZALMAG® Adds Texture and Richness to this Innovative Office Space

111 E Grand – Des Moines, IA

Driving down Grand Avenue in Des Moines, Iowa is gives you a sense of the rich history and culture the city has to offer. As you approach the river you will notice a unique building cladded in bold, Black Zalmag® metal wall panels and exposed mass timber wood. The material used on the exterior gives this building a modern yet natural design aesthetic. The Black Zalmag® material appears charcoal in color in the daylight but a dark black when the sun is set, This unique metal changes appearance throughout the day.

Covering the East, North and West elevations are Flush Reveal panels made from Black Zalmag®. This metal starts with carbon steel base with a unique coating of Zinc, Aluminum and Magnesium. The magnesium renders the material impenetrable; the aluminum increases the metal’s corrosion resistance; while the zinc does the magic of healing the material’s cut edges. The mixture also contains silicon, which hardens the surface, preventing surface abrasions. ZALMAG® is increasingly used in architectural applications due to the unique patina aging process, which produces variability from one panel to the next. ZALMAG® is unique in that the patina coating is ever-changing, increasing its corrosive strength with time.

“I loved the texture, richness and veining of the Zalmag® finish,” said Khalid Khan, Principal at Neumann Monson Architects “Since the completion of 111 E. Grand, more architects in Des Moines are starting to spec metal wall panels for the façade. This could be the beginning of a new trend in Iowa.”

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Covering the East, North and West elevations are Flush Reveal panels made from Black Zalmag®. This metal starts with carbon steel base with a unique coating of Zinc, Aluminum and Magnesium. The magnesium renders the material impenetrable; the aluminum increases the metal’s corrosion resistance; while the zinc does the magic of healing the material’s cut edges. The mixture also contains silicon, which hardens the surface, preventing surface abrasions. ZALMAG® is increasingly used in architectural applications due to the unique patina aging process, which produces variability from one panel to the next. ZALMAG® is unique in that the patina coating is ever-changing, increasing its corrosive strength with time.

In addition to the metal wall panels, Khalid chose to use Dowell Laminated Timber (DLT) on both the interior and exterior of the building. DLT does not use any nails or glue (composed of soft and hardwood) and is completely reusable at the end of the building’s life. This was the first multi-story DLT project in North America as well as the largest DLT project in the country. This type of wood construction has been used more commonly in Europe but this is only the second DLT project in the United States.

Project Details

Architect: Neumann Monson Architects

Product: Tongue & Groove Reveal Panel

Material: ZALMAG®

Finish: Black

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