Wheaton Revitalization: Constructing Geometric Panels – Government Office Building

Project description

One of the largest projects of its kind ever built by Montgomery County, the Wheaton Revitalization Project aims to improve mobility, reduce traffic congestion, and increase use of the Wheaton Metro Station. The new development and construction of the 14-story LEED Platinum government building works to diminish negative environmental impacts and bring diverse services and employment opportunities to the area.

PCC was responsible for the metal panels, rainscreens, and architectural louvers. Sourced from Switzerland, Swiss Pearl’s ultra-high performance concrete panels (UHPC) created a patchwork pattern of reds and beige around the exterior. Each panel was inspected during different phases of the manufacturing process in Europe and the USA to ensure tight tolerances were maintained. On-site our field installation teams provided a high level of detail and alignment up the face of the building to adhere to the open joint system. PCC’s field and design teams worked together to provide multiple mockup iterations in order to work through window and concrete inconsistencies. The biggest challenges on the project were adhering to the small footprint and height of the building while sharing each swing, adjusting panels and detailing wall penetrations.

In addition to the UHPC panels, PCC provided composite, plate, and single skin metal panels. From a layout and an access perspective, the installation of the main vestibule canopy and white panels on every other floor of the Southwest corner of the project proved to be complex. Intricate geometric shapes and varying substrate conditions on the slab faces needed to be fabricated to ensure proper fit.

Team PCC was proud to deliver the 308,000-square-foot project on-time and within budget to our partners on the project, Clark Construction Group. The office building brought 980 employees and expects to have 157,000 visitors annually. Wheaton is on-track to promote economic and community vibrancy.

To learn more about the environmental features on this project, please visit https://gomontgomery.blogspot.com/2020/09/learn-more-about-wheaton-projects.html