Round Rock Public Safety Training Centre
Drawing respectful inspiration from the uniforms worn by the first responders trained there, blue and grey panels clad the 65,000-square-foot building’s façade.
Helping protect the growing community of Round Rock, Texas, the City recently opened a new Public Safety Training Centre to provide its police officers, firefighters and other first responders with real-world, educational experience in a controlled, convenient location.
Drawing respectful inspiration from the uniforms worn by the first responders trained there, blue and grey panels clad the 65,000-square-foot building’s façade. Linetec applied Sherwin-Williams Fluropon extrusion coatings to finish 11,600 square feet of Dri-Design’s painted aluminium panels. The multi-coloured panels were installed by Kidd Roofing in a staggered pattern to add visual appeal to the box-shaped, modern building.
Collaborating with the City of Round Rock, Hart Gaugler + Associates led the master planning for the 73-acre project’s development. Brinkley Sargent Architects designed the three-story Public Safety Training Centre, in association with G2 Solutions Group. Chasco Constructors oversaw the $29 million building’s construction, which was completed in time for the September 2018 grand opening.
“Quality training is critical to our community,” said Laura Hadley, city manager for Round Rock. “Providing the best possible training environment for our public safety officers is essential to keep up with the demands of our growing city and will control training costs long-term.”
The new centre creates a shared space that allows first responders from multiple agencies, including those from neighbouring counties, to train in a cooperative setting. Exercises include addressing car fires, fuel spills, train derailments and residential safety threats. The main building houses administrative offices, a gymnasium, a 50-yard indoor shooting range and flexible classrooms for more than 200 students.
To ensure the building’s lasting appearance and resilient performance, Brinkley Sargent Architects specified 70 percent, two-coat, PVDF resin-based Fluropon® architectural extrusion coatings. Four different hues were selected for the aluminium panel system on Round Rock’s Public Safety Training Centre building. Two additional red tones were chosen to finish the architectural aluminium components on the facility’s standalone signage.
The breadth of colours offered in Fluropon durable coatings make them a popular choice for architects, specifiers and aluminium architectural product manufacturers. Linetec currently offers more than 50,000 colours and its in-house blending laboratory can match or make almost any conceivable colour.
For Round Rock’s safety training centre, the coating names are as colourful as their appearance: Blue Blood, Blue Chip, City Scape, Musket Grey, Crushed Tomatoes and Red Gumball.
“Colour communicates and a building’s colour communicates with an entire community,” commented Linetec’s marketing manager, Tammy Schroeder, LEED® Green Associate. “Not only do blues, greys and reds call to mind the uniforms worn by those we turn to in the event of an emergency, they also convey a sense of calm, comfort and caution.”
“Fluropon coatings are formulated for premium durability; they retain their colour and gloss, and resist long-term chalking, to hold up under the intense Texas sun and climate,” added Schroeder. “These 70 percent PVDF resin-based coatings shield the aluminium against weathering, pollution and ageing, as well intense UV radiation.”
High-performing Fluropon coil and extrusion coatings, manufactured by the Sherwin-Williams, meet the stringent, industry-leading American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) 2605 specification. This specification’s rigorous testing performance standards include more than 4,000 hours of salt spray, and heat- and humidity-resistance.
When applying liquid coatings, Linetec uses a 100 percent air capture system to safely contain and destroy VOCs before they leave its facility. When the finished aluminium arrives at the jobsite, there is no adverse environmental impact. The material is ready to be installed to support the project’s sustainable, low-maintenance goals.
Contributing to Round Rock’s Public Safety Training Centre’s goals, Schroeder concluded, “We are proud to have played a part in creating this vibrant, contemporary building that will serve the community, and its fire and police departments, for many years to come.”
Project Credits:
- Owner: City of Round Rock Round Rock, TX
- Coatings provider: Sherwin-Williams Coil Coatings, extrusion coatings
- Master plan consultant: Hart Gaugler + Associates Dallas, TX
- Architect: Brinkley Sargent Wiginton Architects Dallas, TX
- Associate architect: G2 Solutions Group, Inc. New Braunfels, TX
- General contractor: Chasco Constructors LTD LLP Round Rock, TX
- Metal panel systems – installing contractor: Kidd Roofing Austin, TX
- Metal panel systems – manufacturer: Dri-Design Holland, MI
- Metal panel systems – finishing provider: Linetec Wausau, WI
- Photography credits: Ethan Lankford, City of Round Rock, TX