FIU Century Bank Arena Features Etched Panther Mascot With GKD
Project: Florida International University Century Bank Arena
Location: Miami, Florida
Architect: Gould Evans Architects
Customer: Florida International University
Contractor: Arellano Construction
Completion Date: 2011
GKD Metal Fabrics Product: Omega 1520
The Florida International University mascot, the Golden Panther, is front and center, ready to greet the tens of thousands coming to the Century Bank Arena. For this sunshading and branding project, Gould Evans Architects specified GKD-USA’s proprietary etching process on the entrance panel to achieve the branding objectives of the university and foster school spirit.
The building gains multiple benefits as the interior is shielded from the hot Florida sun with five panels of GKD Omega 1520. A total of 1,600 square feet of durable, heat- and moisture-resistant metal fabric were attached using GKD’s extended loop with round bar and eyebolts at the top and extended loop with round bar and springs at the bottom.
This tensioned flexible metal fabric panel and those flanking it on either side, provide the following daylighting benefits due to its transparency and energy savings through solar management:
- Offers a unique way to control solar heat gain and extreme daylight. By shading a building’s interiors and keeping it naturally cooler, less energy is needed to power HVAC systems.
- Metal fabric allows the transmission of natural light which provides effective internal illumination while reducing related energy costs. This reduces the use of and need for artificial lighting.
- Stainless steel fabric offers strength, durability, design flexibility and increases a building’s overall energy efficiency.
A large consideration when choosing products for cladding, sunshading or daylighting is the potential obstruction of the building’s architecture. Here again metal mesh fabric is a practical option. The open area of the woven fabric ranges from 0% to 71% open, ensuring visibility from the inside out, allowing natural lighting from the outside in and increasing building occupant comfort and interior environment.
Because of proven hurricane force wind capability of the fabric and attachment designs, these architectural metal facades are ideally primed for application in the hot, humid and hurricane-prone southeastern United States.