{"id":6279,"date":"2020-01-08T13:55:14","date_gmt":"2020-01-08T13:55:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/?p=6279"},"modified":"2025-09-05T15:12:30","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T15:12:30","slug":"development-leaves-impression-on-minneapolis-cityscape-with-striking-angular-design-clad-in-purple-hued-alucobond-plus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/development-leaves-impression-on-minneapolis-cityscape-with-striking-angular-design-clad-in-purple-hued-alucobond-plus\/","title":{"rendered":"Development Leaves Impression on Minneapolis Cityscape with Striking Angular Design Clad in Purple-Hued ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The new Ironclad mixed-use development in Minneapolis stands out in the historic Mill District\u2019s cityscape with a unique metal-clad angular design that is equal parts historic inspiration and contemporary urban chic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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Highlights<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\u2022 Ironclad is comprised of the 14-story 171-unit Ironclad<\/a> apartment building featuring high-end amenities and the eight-story 148-room millennial-focused Moxy Minneapolis Downtown hotel<\/a> by Marriott International. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Ironclad was constructed on the site of The Union Grain Elevator or Elevator E, which was constructed in 1867 as one of Minneapolis\u2019 earliest and largest (130,000 bushel capacity) wood grain elevators, according to a Collage Architects\u2019 statement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Collage Architects selected ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS in the Custom French Beret Lighter color with an understated purple hue to subtly mark the passing of Minneapolis\u2019 own \u201cPurple Rain\u201d singer-songwriter Prince. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Project<\/strong>: Ironclad

Location<\/strong>: Minneapolis, MN

ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS<\/strong>: Custom French Beret Lighter, Brilliant Silver Metallic

Architect<\/strong>: Collage Architects, LLC

General Contractor<\/strong>: Kraus-Anderson Construction Co.

Fabricator\/Installer<\/strong>: Berwald Roofing & Sheet Metal Co., Inc.

Photography<\/strong>: \u00a9 Bob Perzel <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The Project<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Designed by Minneapolis-based Collage Architects, LLC<\/a>, this $74 million 418,864 square-foot development opened in July 2019 in the city\u2019s fast-growing East Town Neighborhood. Ironclad is comprised of the 14-story 171-unit Ironclad<\/a> apartment building featuring high-end amenities and the eight-story 148-room millennial-focused Moxy Minneapolis Downtown hotel<\/a> by Marriott International. Ironclad also features 8,900 square feet of retail space with a premiere anchor restaurant scheduled to open in winter 2020. Parking is available for 400 cars in a garage designed with two stories above ground and 1.5 stories below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ironclad is owned by Minneapolis-based Timeshare Properties, Inc., which owns and operates multiple properties in downtown Minneapolis. The Moxy Minneapolis Downtown hotel is managed by Minneapolis-based Graves Hospitality Corp. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Located at the intersection of Chicago and\nWashington avenues \u2013 within walking distance of U.S. Bank Stadium, Gold Medal\nPark and the Guthrie Theater \u2013 Ironclad was constructed on the site of The\nUnion Grain Elevator or Elevator E, which was constructed in 1867 as one of Minneapolis\u2019\nearliest and largest (130,000 bushel capacity) wood grain elevators, according\nto a Collage Architects\u2019 statement. The elevator was located on the Chicago,\nMilwaukee and Saint Paul railway that ran toward the Mill District along the\nMississippi River. Prone to fire, the original wooden elevator burned to the\nground in 1892. It was reconstructed and \u201ciron clad\u201d to better protect the\nstructure against future fires. Today, the only visible reminder of the site\u2019s\nhistorical importance is the stone wall that supported the railway viaduct.       <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Design<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The Ironclad mixed-use development pays homage to its historic industrial namesake with construction materials that include reinforced concrete and brick. Today\u2019s Ironclad is clad in a total of 99,170 square feet of ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS<\/a> aluminum composite material (ACM) by 3A Composites USA, including 65,410 feet of 4mm ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS in the Custom French Beret Lighter color and 33,760 square feet of 4mm ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS in the Brilliant Silver Metallic color from The Classic Collection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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(As the original aluminum composite material,\nALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS has been developed exclusively to allow architects and designers\nto meet the fire performance requirements of today\u2019s building\nstandards. Consisting of two sheets of smooth .020\u201d aluminum thermobonded\nto a solid, fire-retardant core in 4mm nominal thickness, ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS is one\ncomponent of the wall assembly that meets the requirements of fire\nclassifications while offering the proven product properties such as flatness,\nformability, durability and ease of fabrication. Available in standard widths\nof 50 inches and 62 inches, ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS is available in a wide range of high\nquality finishes and colors as well as custom colors.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Collage Architects sought to retain the site\u2019s historical significance for the city by including the railway\u2019s stone retaining wall boulders as part of the Ironclad development\u2019s landscape, according to Joshua Jansen, Associate AIA, Vice President and Director of Design at Collage Architects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe only remaining visual signs of the grain elevator were the stone and the peculiar shape of the site driven by the historic railway, so we decided to design the building with an angular shape to emulate the old elevator,\u201d said Jansen. \u201cOur building is much more angular than every other building that fronts Washington Avenue and has a piece that juts out to take on the old form of the elevator that you can actually walk beneath. \u2026 This building needed to have an energy in the same way as the old Elevator E. We wanted this design to be imposing, impactful and incorporate high design, while strengthening the public realm along Washington and Chicago avenues.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Collage Architects sought to preserve the visual\ncorridor between U.S. Bank Stadium and the Guthrie Theater not only in its\ndesign of Ironclad but in its selection of cladding materials, according to\nJansen.  He said the color of brick was\nchosen to clad the Moxy hotel in order to emulate the broader site\u2019s history,\nwhile the Ironclad apartments were clad in modern ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS ACM to reflect\nthe \u201cedginess\u201d of the stadium, the Guthrie and the evolving Washington Avenue\ncorridor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe utilized the ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS to create a unique color\nand form in the cityscape,\u201d said Jansen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Collage Architects selected ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS in the\nCustom French Beret Lighter color with an understated purple hue to subtly mark\nthe passing of Minneapolis\u2019 own \u201cPurple Rain\u201d singer-songwriter Prince. In\norder to match the architects\u2019 vision, 3A Composites USA produced several\ncustom ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS color samples, which Jansen took to the site to assess\ntheir compatibility with the nearby stadium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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While the main body of the building is clad in Custom French Beret Lighter, ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS ACM in Brilliant Silver Metallic was installed as vertical and horizontal accents at floor lines. \u201cWe selected the silver color as an obvious cue from the stadium,\u201d said Jansen. \u201cWe wanted to reflect the energy of the historic rail line and the new stadium.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Ironclad apartments feature floor-to-ceiling windows and stacked units \u2013 a design that \u201crequired a cladding material that had a lot of control in its seaming pattern to maintain the lines of the building,\u201d according to Jansen, who said the intersections of these materials are very sharp.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS material created these clear lines; it worked great,\u201d said Jansen. \u201cWe had, of course, used it before but never on such a large project. This project\u2019s scale and its impact on the city required a premium product.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Fabrication and Installation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Approximately 4,012 ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS panels were fabricated and installed on Ironclad by Berwald Roofing & Sheet Metal Co., Inc.<\/a>, of North St. Paul, Minn., with a Berwald rainscreen dry-set panel system. Minneapolis-based Kraus-Anderson Construction Co.<\/a> served as general contractor for the project.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS material was sold by EBP, LLC<\/a>, of Excelsior, Minn. Berwald Roofing & Sheet Metal served in a design-assist role on the project, reviewing and documenting wall assemblies not only to bring the architect\u2019s vision to life but to meet building codes in Minneapolis and Minnesota, according to Brian Berwald, General Manager, Berwald Roofing & Sheet Metal Co., Inc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Berwald said fabrication and installation of the\nALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS and other metal panel materials was completed on a \u201cvery tight\ntime schedule for the size of the project\u201d from August 2018 through May 2019,\nincluding working around a month-long construction closure during the spring 2019\nNCAA Division I Men\u2019s Basketball Tournament held at nearby U.S. Bank Stadium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Berwald Roofing & Sheet Metal team members were\nchallenged in installation by the unique angles in Ironclad\u2019s design, including\na solid wall of panels found on the east side of the apartment building facing\nWashington Avenue that turns at a 150-degree angle, according to Berwald.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u00a0\u201cThe panels at that location come across the building and turn back at a tight angle with one-piece mitered corners,\u201d said Berwald. \u201cAll of the ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS panels had to line up correctly around the entire building. We paid close attention to the design and shop drawings to make this work.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Now that Ironclad has opened, this unique design has\npaid off in praise, according to Jansen, who said he\u2019s been told by competitive\npeers in the architectural community that this is \u201ca great addition to the\ncity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cEveryone thinks this building looks great,\u201d said\nBerwald. \u201cIt\u2019s located on a perfect spot on Washington Avenue and really stands\nout.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jansen recently led a discussion and tour of the Ironclad\ndevelopment for neighboring business owners and real-estate developers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe discussed how the angles and the history and the ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS product all work together to create the unique flavor of this project,\u201d said Jansen. \u201cPeople on the tour started asking a lot of questions about the angles because we so often see these developments designed to maximize square footage. They were impressed that you can walk under the part of this building that connects Washington Avenue to Ninth Avenue and the expansive Hiawatha Bike Trail. This is such an unusual site within the city grid; its design centers on the push and pull of the building and the importance of historical context.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Introduced in 1969, ALUCOBOND\u00ae is the original and\nworld’s best-known aluminum composite material. ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS is manufactured\nin the United States in the Benton, Ky., plant of 3A Composites. The 3A\nComposites USA headquarters are based in Davidson, N.C. For more information about ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS ACM, call 1-800-626-3365, email info.usa@3AComposites.com<\/a> or visit www.alucobondUSA.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The new Ironclad mixed-use development in Minneapolis stands out in the historic Mill District\u2019s cityscape with a unique metal-clad angular design that is equal parts historic inspiration and contemporary urban chic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[28,481,400,302,378,270],"class_list":["post-6279","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-case-studies","tag-architecture","tag-architecture-trends","tag-historical-architecture","tag-mixed-use","tag-new-construction","tag-residential-design"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6279","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6279"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6279\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8728,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6279\/revisions\/8728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6279"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6279"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}