Projects: Education

San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex Headquarters and Visitors Center, Los Banos, Calif.

TEAM

METAL-ROOF INSTALLER: Top Built Inc., Rancho Cordova, Calif., (916) 826-1642
ARCHITECT: Catalyst Architecture LLC, Prescott, Ariz.
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: West Coast Contractors, Reno, Nev.

A metal roof system was the top choice when Catalyst Architecture set out to achieve LEED Platinum Certification and a Net-Zero Energy design.

ROOF MATERIALS

The 16,500-square-foot center features 24-gauge, 17-inch Design Span hp in bare ZINCALUME. The standing-seam feature of Design Span hp was an integral part of accomplishing the design. To address the low-slope cricket sections of the roof, the metal-roof manufacturer recommended an alternate panel to achieve the performance requirements of the roof. The mechanically seamed, wide, flat surface of Span-Lok hp was ideal because of its capability of being installed on roof slopes as low as 1/4:12.

METAL-ROOF MANUFACTURER: AEP Span

ROOF REPORT

A metal roof system was the top choice when Catalyst Architecture set out to achieve LEED Platinum Certification and a Net-Zero Energy design for the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex Headquarters and Visitors Center.

Staying true to the ecology of the site and having the facility complement the surrounding environment was important to telling the story of the refuge. “A metal roof combined with a rough timber frame and tall windows was a natural fit for the culture of the refuge and the agrarian roots of the central valley region,” says Matthew Ackerman, AIA, LEED AP, principal of Catalyst Architecture. “The design of the roof was more inverted and symbolic of the wings of a bird in flight, which characterizes the refuge as a major wintering ground and migratory stopover point along the Pacific Flyway for large concentrations of waterfowl, shorebirds and other waterbirds.”

Combining AEP Span’s metal roof system along with other elements contributed to earning the distinction of the highest performing facility in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The center has earned LEED Platinum Certification, Net-Zero, the 2013 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Green Facility Award, 2013 U.S. Department of the Interior Green Facility Award and 2013 U.S. Department of Energy—Energy and Water Management Award.

PHOTO: AEP SPAN