{"id":570,"date":"2006-01-21T17:01:17","date_gmt":"2006-01-21T17:01:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/?p=570"},"modified":"2025-09-05T15:11:02","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T15:11:02","slug":"fair-lawn-community-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/fair-lawn-community-center\/","title":{"rendered":"Fair Lawn Community Center"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Alucobond,<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Project Name:<\/th>\nFair Lawn Community Center<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Project Location:<\/th>\nFair Lawn, New Jersey<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS Materials:<\/th>\n24,000 sq. ft. of 4mm Bone White<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Year of Installation:<\/th>\n2006<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Architect:<\/th>\nAllen Weitzman
\nStudio 5 Partnership Architects, Glen Rock, NJ<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fabricator:<\/th>\nBAMCO, Inc.<\/a>, Middlesex, NJ<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Attachment Method:<\/th>\nD500 Dry Joint Wall System<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Community Center’s Contemporary Design Captures Officials’ Vision of Town’s Future<\/p>\n

When officials in the Borough of Fair Lawn, N.J., decided to build a new community center to replace the town\u2019s indoor recreational facilities that were split between two inadequately spaced buildings located at opposite ends of town, there was one overriding goal for the building\u2019s design.<\/p>\n

\"Alucobond,<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThey wanted to look forward to the future,\u201d said architect Allen Weitzman, now a partner with Studio 5 Partnership Architects\/Planners, LLC, of Glen Rock, N.J. \u201cThey really believe in the town\u2019s motto: \u2018Fair Lawn is a great place to visit; Fair Lawn is a better place to live.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Town officials had the vision to see beyond the two cramped facilities \u2013 totaling 14,000 square feet \u2013 that had housed the community\u2019s recreation facilities for 20 years. The Old Library Theatre \u2013 a firehouse converted into a library \u2013 was home to the community theater group, art association and radio club. Productions were staged in a building with no sloped floors or lobby; and, candy was sold from a closet, according to Weitzman.
\nA separate building located across town housed the youth center \u2013 another cramped facility that featured a basketball court with no standard, according to Weitzman. \u201cIf anyone overran the boundary line, they ran into a concrete wall,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"Alucobond,<\/a><\/p>\n

Weitzman presented a number of design options for the new facility. Rather than turning to the traditional design themes so often found in the Northeast, members of the Fair Lawn Mayor and Council\u2019s Executive Design Committee chose a contemporary design in keeping with their commitment to the town\u2019s future, according to Weitzman, who said this modern building design was inspired by the work of world-renowned architect Richard Meier.<\/p>\n

\u201cRichard Meier\u2019s buildings are always white,\u201d said Weitzman. \u201cThey\u2019re always so clean and beautiful and bright.\u201d<\/p>\n

To create that clean, contemporary look, 24,000 square feet of ALUCOBOND\u00ae aluminum composite material by 3A Composites USA in the bone white color and 4 mm thickness were incorporated into the building\u2019s wall system. ALUCOBOND\u00ae is an aluminum composite material that consists of two sheets of .02\u201d aluminum thermobonded to a plastic core. ALUCOBOND\u00ae provides extraordinary flatness and rigidity, excellent formability, low weight and outstanding weather resistance.<\/p>\n

\"Alucobond,<\/a><\/p>\n

The lower level of the 42,000-square-foot three-story building features four 2-foot horizontal bands of masonry in muted shades of red and yellow. This light color theme is enhanced in the two floors above. White rectangular ground-level columns support a series of white geometric shapes in the upper floors, including rectangular walls topped by a large oval designed to imitate the center\u2019s walking track. The columns, as well as the rectangular and oval walls, are created from ALUCOBOND\u00ae in bone white. A plentiful use of rectangular windows in 2-foot, 4-foot and 6-foot heights enhances the building\u2019s modular design by flooding the indoors with natural light.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe shadows and textures this design creates are beautiful to watch throughout the course of the day,\u201d said Weitzman. \u201cThe way this building glows as the light bends around the soft curve of the oval is really beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Alucobond,<\/a><\/p>\n

While architecturally elegant, fabricating and effectively joining varied geometric shapes in wall panels can be a complex task for contractors. General contractor March Associates, of Wayne, N.J., turned to BAMCO, Inc., of Middlesex, N.J., for fabrication and installation of these geometric wall panels.<\/p>\n

BAMCO utilized the 4 mm ALUCOBOND\u00ae in its premiere D500 dry joint wall system, which is fabricated in an extruded aluminum frame with compressed internal gaskets. According to BAMCO, this system is different form other dry joint panel systems on the market in that, while it can be considered a rain-screen application, it is fully ASTM tested to be a sealed panel system. Liquid water barriers are not required. Because this system seals the building with internal, hard silicone gaskets, it easily can be used for projects that include complex shapes and curved panels.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll contractors know how difficult it is to go from round to flat (wall panels); it\u2019s almost like you\u2019re installing two different panel systems with the goal of providing a seamless look,\u201d according to Bob Balaam, BAMCO sales manager, who said the Fair Lawn metal wall system was challenging to fabricate and install in a welded application due to the building\u2019s large column wraps, volume beams, radius conditions and dry joint system.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was a fairly complex building design,\u201d said Balaam. \u201cWith this project, ALUCOBOND\u00ae gave us a lot of flexibility due to the length of the panels and their ability to be formed into a radius. The ALUCOBOND\u00ae provided versatility and flexibility. \u2026 It fit well with this project. 3A Composites was one of the specified manufacturers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Construction of the Fair Lawn Community Center \u2013 which was led by members of the not-for-profit Fair Lawn Community Center 501(c) 3 Inc. \u2013 began in September 2004. The building officially opened to the public in April 2006. The new 42,000-square-foot facility includes a 170-seat theater, a full-scale gymnasium for basketball, an exercise room, card room, youth lounge and art studio, as well as recreation department offices. All borough residents are eligible to use the facility at no additional charge.<\/p>\n

\u201cOverall, community reaction to this facility has been extremely positive,\u201d said Weitzman.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the building design was recognized by New York Construction magazine in its \u201cBest of 2006 Awards\u201d program with an award of merit for small projects.<\/p>\n\n\t\t