The University of Wisconsin-Platteville has long had a reputation for producing some of the Midwest’s top engineering students and aims to continue that success. The school’s plan is to have Sesquicentennial Hall “transform the way UW-Platteville educates the next generation of engineering leaders.”
Sesquicentennial Hall, which is connected to the existing Busby Hall of Engineering, is a 200,000-square-foot new structure, created to support interdisciplinary engineering and computer science. A key to the success of the project was the exterior aesthetics. Sheet Metal Supply provided 10,000 RHEINZINK-prePATINA ECO ZINC Flat Lock Tiles, covering 9,000 square feet of the façade.
“The design for Sesquicentennial Hall is grounded on three themes: campus context, sustainability, and the visual expression of engineering,” says Craig Peterson, Principal and Design Leader at BWBR. “As an addition to the existing engineering hall, as well as ensuring a good fit with the campus, the material palette and colors and building massing and form provide a strong visual connection. The exterior materials as selected optimize sustainable best practices. Visual patterns and detailing provide a layering of elements that convey a spirit of rigor, quality, and thoroughness in alignment with principles of engineering.
“The façade’s metal panel wall system plays a key role in response to all three design themes. The material in similar applications and color is evident elsewhere on campus so it reinforces Sesquicentennial Hall’s contribution. The material is inherently sustainable and acts as an assemblage of components, performing as a system, thus reinforcing a visual application of engineering.”
The 8-inch by 16-inch tiles were manufactured from RHEINZINK-prePATINA ECO ZINC Blue Grey material.
“Sesquicentennial Hall is successful in the way it engages and defines the engineering district on campus,” Peterson says. “The architecture responds to existing campus architecture in a way that promotes a sense of belonging while also uniquely expressing itself as something new and innovative. Campus space is also created to visually ground the building and provide active and purposeful outdoor space. As home to many disciplines of engineering, Sesquicentennial Hall is high performing in support of these programs, serving students and faculty in pursuit of their learning and teaching.”
About Sheet Metal Supply
Founded in 1991, Sheet Metal Supply Ltd. is a leading fabricator/supplier of custom-formed perimeter edge systems, wall facades, flat lock tiles, substructural components, ES-1 rated products, architectural zinc, glazed-in panels, standing seam and much more. The company ships internationally and is regarded for its high-quality products and quick turn-around.
Architect: Craig Peterson, Principal and Design Leader at BWBR, Madison, Wis., Omaha, Neb., and St. Paul (https://www.bwbr.com/portfolio/uw-platteville-sesquicentennial-hall-engineering-lab-facility/)
Fabricator: Sheet Metal Supply LTD, Grayslake, Ill.
Installer: Design Point Exteriors LLC, Stevens Point, Wis.
