New, Custom Panel for Interactive Museum

This project was in support of an innovative community space and learning environment that is part workshop, part museum. It’s a place for hands-on experiences in science, math, engineering, and technology for middle school groups and children ages 6 and up and aims to become a family-friendly destination when it opens in 2023. As the architect on the project, Architectural Wall Systems had a goal to develop a simple, flexible, and adaptable structure for the town’s newest landmark.

To complete the building exterior, AWS needed to source metal panels that would provide an aesthetically pleasing look resembling that of a “container.” However, the required metal panels needed for the job were custom, and AWS was struggling to find someone with the right capabilities, tools, and expertise to take on the high-visibility project.

Supporting our long-standing relationship with AWS, we stepped up to the plate.

Our priority as the supplier was to form a new, never-before made panel out of a custom perforated metal. The panels also needed to be equipped to support a backlight feature. To meet these requirements, we created a brushed aluminum surface with a customized perforating pattern, available in multiple lengths from short to long. This involved:

• Sourcing a rare material, 5052 alloy, to fabricate the brushed aluminum
• Purchasing new tooling to make the parts
• Manufacturing specialty products using competitively advantageous capabilities

Upon installation, a significant portion of the panels created were rejected the first time out and had to be redone. Refusing to leave the project and AWS in a bind, we stuck through until all 50k sq feet of panels were approved and correctly installed, on time.

If you would like to learn more or also have a unique project and wish to discuss the details, please contact us today.