Weathered steel is a popular architectural material thanks to its rich, mottled appearance, but it comes at a high price. The architects at HKS Hospitality Group in Dallas, TX, were reminded of this as they were in the process of designing the new JW Marriott Convention Center Hotel in Austin. The original concept for the building was to integrate natural materials that are found within the Texas landscape. For the façade of the 34-story primary tower, HKS?HG wanted a weathered metal appearance, but when the team saw the estimate to use weathered steel, they knew the price was too high - even for a luxury brand like JW Marriott.
Hunt Construction, the contractor on the project, reached out to ProCLAD Inc., the metal wall design company it had previously worked with on a JW Marriott in Indianapolis. Representatives from Hunt, ProCLAD and HKS consulted closely to determine if there was an alternative solution that could deliver the appearance of weathered steel at a lower price. The architects wanted dimensional panels with varied colors that would read well from far away, since the panels would be installed on the high-rise portion of the building. Craig Caudill, Executive Vice President for ProCLAD, suggested using formed Galvalume panels painted in dark, medium and light shades to mimic the appearance of rusted steel. Caudill knew that using a variety of colors of Valspar Fluropon coatings could help create the dimensional variety the architects were looking for. Additionally, the coating would maintain its look for years to come, as Fluropon is known for its durability, exceptional color retention, and resistance to chalking and chemical degradation.