Revitalized metal structure brings multipurpose functionality to community college
Higher education took a big hit during the pandemic, as students became frustrated with online programs and lockdown rules that took the fun out of campus life. Enrollment has been making a comeback during the past couple years, with community colleges leading the way. This is sparking investment in campus facilities – like the recent renovation of a multipurpose building for Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, Iowa. The project included a new roof and exterior walls, predominantly completed using architectural metal panels to create a low-maintenance, streamlined look that should continue serving the school’s students for decades.
As of fall 2023, Iowa Central had seen total enrollment grow more than 12% since fall 2020, when the pandemic slowed academic attendance across the country. And school administrators also have undertaken some major building projects on campus, including the first renovation of its performing arts and auditorium building in decades. Also in this upgrade plan was the school’s Crimmins Center, a large structure housing a mix of academic and athletic programs, from auto body repair and diesel technology to cross country, track and soccer practice facilities.
Improvements at the Crimmins Center included a much-needed exterior facelift. It was originally constructed as a metal building, but the roof and cladding had long outlived their useful lives. Architects with the Mankato, Minn., office of ISG Inc., opted to stick with metal materials, but with a big step up in quality, working with installers from Fort Dodge, Iowa-based Jensen Builders to specify Petersen as the supplier.
These products included the company’s PAC-CLAD Precision Series Wall Panel System for the cladding. These ribbed panels are available in multiple profiles with a variety of rib patterns. PAC-CLAD Tite-Loc Plus panels were selected for the roof. These mechanically seamed panels feature better performance in high-wind situations – a common occurrence in the Iowa prairie.
