February 20, 2018 - The Metal Construction Association (MCA) awarded the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky its 2017 Chairman’s Award in the institutional category.

The Speed Art Museum in Louisville underwent a $60 million renovation which included the addition of two new buildings that were built to the north and south of it. The added 62,500 square feet has expanded the Museum’s amenities and exhibit space, allowing for display of up to 1,000 pieces of art at a time. Other renovations included an indoor/outdoor café, a gift shop, and an events pavilion. Recently opened in early 2016, the Museum’s attendance is expected to reach 200,000 visitors annually.

MG McGrath worked with the Speed Art Museum project team to fabricate and install a 485 square-foot aluminum composite wall panel system, a 19,540 square-foot custom corrugated expanded aluminum panel system with a custom pattern, a 20,610-square-foot CENTRIA metal wrap insulated-core metal wall system, a 245-square-foot corrugated screen wall with aluminum corrugated wall panels at the back side, and aluminum fixed louvers.

The architects wanted to keep the authenticity of the building by modeling some aspects of the museum's original design, while incorporating modern and sleek materials. A 60,000 square- foot north pavilion was created by stacking three shifted volumes sheathed in fritted glass and folded aluminum panels, similar to the moldings of the original museum. The materials also create a dynamic change when natural light is introduced.

“I think it’s really interesting how the new project is completely different than the original but in the same visual language. Coloration, texture, massing relate really well to this original project without having anything to do with it. It’s a different material, different architecture, everything’s different about it, but they’ve made it really relate really well together,” said MCA judge Mark Horton, FAIA, Principal, Mark Horton/Architecture, San Francisco, California

“When you combine the cantilever, the shifting planes and the differences of color, really only metal can do what they did in their final design,” commented MCA judge Brent Schipper, AIA, LEED AP, Principal, ASK Studio, Des Moines, Iowa.

The award was announced at a special ceremony during the MCA Winter Meeting, held in San Diego, California from January 22-24, 2018. The annual 3-day event fosters industry collaboration, networking and growth in the metal construction industry.

The Chairman’s Awards are given to the year’s most exceptional building projects involving MCA member companies based on overall appearance, significance of metal in the project, innovative use of metal, and the role of metal in achieving project objectives

Recipients for these awards are selected each year from projects submitted by MCA members to Metal Architecture Magazine’s annual Design Awards Program. The honorees were chosen by a panel of professional architects, which included Mark Dewalt, AIA, Principal, Valerio Dewalt Train Associates, Chicago, Illinois; Mark Horton, FAIA, Principal, Mark Horton/Architecture, San Francisco, California; and Brent Schipper, AIA, LEED AP, Principal, ASK Studio, Des Moines, Iowa.

The 2017 MCA Chairman’s Awards were given in eight categories: overall excellence; residential; metal roofing; education, primary and secondary schools; and education, colleges and universities; institutional; municipal; and commercial/industrial.

Project Recognition

Building Owner: Speed Art Museum

MCA Member Manufacturer: CENTRIA

Architect of Record: K. Norman Berry Associates Architects

Architect: wHY Architects

Contractor: F.A. Wilhelm Construction

Metal Installer: MG McGrath

Metal Fabricator: MG McGrath