{"id":75,"date":"2013-12-01T20:22:23","date_gmt":"2013-12-01T20:22:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/?p=75"},"modified":"2025-09-05T14:38:46","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T14:38:46","slug":"north-bergen-n-j-housing-authoritys-hi-rise-retrofit-shines-with-alucobond-spectra-colors-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/north-bergen-n-j-housing-authoritys-hi-rise-retrofit-shines-with-alucobond-spectra-colors-2\/","title":{"rendered":"North Bergen, N.J., Housing Authority’s Hi-Rise Retrofit Shines With ALUCOBOND Spectra Colors"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Alucobond<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Project Name:<\/th>\nPaul F. Cullum Tower<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Project Location:<\/th>\nNorth Bergen, New Jersey<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ALUCOBOND\u00ae Materials:<\/th>\n117,000 sq.ft. 4mm
\nEight ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS Spectra Colors
\nPlatinum Mica Cool<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Year of Installation:<\/th>\n2013<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Architect:<\/th>\nLothrop Associates LLP, White Plains, N.Y.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fabricator:<\/th>\nFairfield Metal, LLC, Fairfield, N.J.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
General Contractor\/Installer:<\/th>\nArco Construction, Inc., West Caldwell, N.J.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Images:<\/th>\nDaniel Lunghi<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The North Bergen, N.J., Housing Authority\u2019s Paul F. Cullum Tower was built in 1972 to provide homes for low-income senior citizens and disabled individuals. While the 15-floor 200,000 square-foot tower still met its primary goal to provide 308 affordable apartments, its exterior fa\u00e7ade constructed with a blue-and-white aluminum curtain-wall system set over reinforced concrete walls with exposed gray concrete columns had faded and looked utilitarian at best.<\/p>\n

But, with an exterior retrofit completed in July 2013 that included the installation of a total of approximately 117,000 square feet of ALUCOBOND\u00ae aluminum composite material by 3A Composites USA in nine different colors \u2013 including eight ALUCOBOND\u00ae Spectra Colors \u2013 the Cullum Tower now serves as \u201ca beacon that can be seen from miles away,\u201d according to Diane Peirano-Ingvaldsen, executive director, North Bergen, N.J., Housing Authority.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cThe sun reflecting on the fa\u00e7ade enhances both the residents\u2019 homes and the surrounding community,\u201d said Peirano-Ingvaldsen. \u201cThis building has definitely made a statement in the neighborhood.\u201d ALUCOBOND\u00ae Spectra Colors allow architects to incorporate a unique, ever-changing color spectrum in the cladding of sophisticated building designs. ALUCOBOND\u00ae Spectra Colors change colors as different wavelengths of light are reflected back to the audience, depending upon the viewing angle.<\/p>\n

Situated near the New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate Highway 95), the Cullum Tower is highly visible in the neighborhood. With a western exposure to the New Jersey Meadowlands, this hi-rise building also is particularly vulnerable to the effects of driving rain. Through the years, the building\u2019s curtain-wall fa\u00e7ade not only had faded but had suffered extensive wear requiring repeated repairs to the concrete columns and caulking of panels, according to Peirano-Ingvaldsen.<\/p>\n

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

A $6.7 million two-phase exterior retrofit of the Cullum Tower was approved by the North Bergen, N.J., Housing Authority in late-2010 with three major goals, including:  improving the building\u2019s thermal performance, eliminating air and water infiltration, and improving building aesthetics.  All goals had to be met with a minimal disturbance to residents, who would continue to live in their homes during the exterior remodel.<\/p>\n

Following a series of collaborative design charrettes, architects at Lothrop Associates LLP<\/a>, of White Plains, N.Y., developed a unique design concept to represent distinct neighborhoods in the building, according to James D. Lothrop, Jr., AIA, FASID, NCARB, CID, partner, Lothrop Associates. \u201cWe didn\u2019t feel that a monolithic color approach was right for this residential building,\u201d said Lothrop.  \u201cWe wanted to convey that this is a building comprised of the individual homes of unique individuals.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cWe originally looked at the basic ALUCOBOND\u00ae colors and presented many color options to the housing authority,\u201d said Arthur J. Seckler, III, Associate AIA, senior associate, Lothrop Associates. \u201cAlucobond Spectra was chosen in particular because the colors were not static. This unique product gave us a stunning array of color through its color shifting properties that essentially tripled the eight basic Spectra color choices. They are not so kinetic that they\u2019re distracting.  The color change is fairly subtle and shifts slowly, but it is this change that makes this new fa\u00e7ade so dynamic.\u201d<\/p>\n

To meet housing authority goals to increase the building\u2019s thermal performance and eliminate air and water infiltration, a weather barrier was installed over the entire building after the curtain wall had been cleaned and the concrete had been repaired. The project\u2019s general contractor Arco Construction, Inc., of West Caldwell, N.J., wrapped the existing curtain wall and exposed concrete columns and eyebrows in W.R. Grace & Co.\u2019s Perma-A-Barrier VPS, a vapor permeable air barrier membrane.<\/p>\n

Fairfield Metal, LLC<\/a>, of Fairfield, N.J., fabricated a total of 117,000 square feet of 4mm ALUCOBOND\u00ae panels in nine colors, including:  Spectra Jewel, Spectra Sunset, Spectra Ocean, Spectra Sakura, Spectra Autumn, Spectra Cupral, Spectra Antique and Spectra Amazon as well as ALUCOBOND\u00ae Platinum Mica Cool.  Arco Construction installed the ALUCOBOND\u00ae panels with Fairfield Metal\u2019s GFM route-and-return wall system with dry-seal gaskets.<\/p>\n

Arco Construction was challenged to install the ALUCOBOND\u00ae panels in a varied step pattern on the building, according to Luigi Colella, partner, Fairfield Metal, who said the company used architectural drawings to number each individual panel and produce a color layout.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cWe had to make sure that we installed the right color in the right spot,\u201d said Colella. \u201cWe also fabricated custom column covers and louvers (the latter for installation beneath air-conditioning units) from ALUCOBOND\u00ae to match the panels.\u201d<\/p>\n

This retrofit also included three colors of granite stone veneer panels installed in varied heights on the first through fourth floors of the building \u201cto mimic the one- and-two-story homes surrounding the project,\u201d according to Seckler.<\/p>\n

In these areas, Fairfield Metal again utilized ALUCOBOND\u00ae to fabricate custom louvers to most closely match  the stone veneer panels by Stone Panel, Inc., including:  Alucobond Steel City Silver Mica Cool with the Impala Black stone veneer, ALUCOBOND\u00ae Driftwood Mica Cool with the Polychrome stone veneer and ALUCOBOND\u00ae Platinum Cool with the Regal Gray stone veneer.<\/p>\n

This retrofit project was completed in two phases with the first construction phase running from June 2011 through December 2012 and the second construction phase running from July 2012 through July 2013. Both the architect and panel fabricator complimented Alucobond\u2019s responsiveness to customer needs during construction.<\/p>\n

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

\u201c3A Composites allowed us to order minimum runs for specific Spectra colors,\u201d said Seckler. \u201cThe material was available when they said it would be available. They exceeded our expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ALUCOBOND\u00ae was specified by the architect,\u201d said Colella. \u201cNo other manufacturer offered colors like these Spectra Colors. The ALUCOBOND\u00ae was great to fabricate and install.  We had no issues at all with this material.\u201d Most importantly, the residents of Cullum Tower are happy with the exterior remodel of their homes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe residents absolutely love it,\u201d said Seckler. \u201cThey\u2019ve complimented us on both the building\u2019s new look and its improved energy efficiency. \u2026 While this building was designed to provide affordable housing, there\u2019s no reason that the elderly should not have aesthetically pleasing homes. It\u2019s a pleasure for us to be able to provide this for them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t\t