New Video Highlights Zinc and Silver Wall in Dallas Arts District

Online, March 16, 2012 (Newswire.com) - VMZINC® recently completed a new video on the Annette Strauss Artist Square in the Dallas Arts District. The video spotlights the dramatic zinc and silver paneled wall on the facility's stage house.

Artist Square is named in honor of the city's former mayor and arts champion, Annette Strauss.

Designed by Good Fulton & Farrell Architects of Dallas, Texas, Artist Square's stage house features VMZINC's four millimeter QUARTZ-ZINC® and Mitsubishi Chemical's four millimeter silver metallic panels, all cut in the same diamond shape to form a Harlequin pattern.

The camera pans around and through the facility, showing the open-air ambience, then focuses on the glistening metal wall.

Thom Powell, AIA, Director of Sustainable Design at Good Fulton & Farrell notes that his firm wanted to create a facility with the same sense of openness as the original Artist Square, which was just an open space for community gatherings. He also comments on the changing visual nature of the stage house's walls:

"The zinc panels next to the silver metal give the illusion of glistening leaves."

VMZINC's Director of Market Development, Dan Nicely, adds, "The unique thing about Artists Square is that they're using zinc with another composite material...It's really a nice play and a nice dichotomy of materials that's working together to create interest on that wall."

Since the facility was intended to be environmentally sustainable, Nicely also notes that zinc is a very "green" cladding material since the run-off is non-bioavailable and clear so it won't affect other materials. It also has a life span of 80 to 100 years.

Sam Latona, Preconstruction Services Manager for the contractor, Turner Construction Company of Dallas, notes that the wall's rain screen construction guarantees that it "will last the life of the facility without any repair cost."

The Dallas Arts District includes 13 facilities and organizations, brought together largely through Annette Strauss' tireless efforts when she served as mayor from 1987-1991. Strauss succumbed to brain cancer shortly after the facility was named in her honor. In its eulogy, the Dallas Morning News stressed her "enduring passion for both the arts and the city."

VMZINC is the brand name for Umicore Building Products' architectural zinc. NOW Specialties Inc. served as panel fabricator and installer for metal wall.

The video was created by 214 Media of Dallas with Fred Nolan of NOW Specialties as executive producer. To view the entire video on YouTube, go to YouTube and search for "Annette Strauss Artist Square: Zinc Panel Feature Wall."

About VMZINC and Umicore Building Products:

VMZINC is a leading specialist in innovative zinc solutions for building envelopes and the international brand name of rolled zinc products manufactured and sold by the Building Products Unit of the Umicore Group, which specializes in materials technology. Umicore is a world-leading producer of architectural zinc. For over 160 years, Umicore has been providing innovative solutions for building owners, architects and contractors. Umicore has offices and representatives all over the world. In the United States, Umicore Building Products USA, Inc., is based in Raleigh, NC. For additional information, visit www.vmzinc-us.com and find the company on Facebook.