Moving Forward with Good Design

Freight terminals typically rely on utilitarian designs for corporate branding. Aesthetically pleasing signage is seldom considered.
However, Southeastern Freight Lines Service Center (Charlotte, NC) has installed a 56 x 14-ft. curved metal screen and perforated-metal sign that bears the company logo at the front of the brick-and-glass facility. The center is scheduled to open January 2011.
Don Peadon, AIA, of Robert Johnson Architects (Charlotte, NC), designed the terminal. The sign’s creator, Sign Systems (Hickory, NC), selected the perforated aluminum from McNichols (Tampa), a specialty-metal company that provides products for architectural projects that require creative and functional solutions.

Branding with metal
Searching for ways to label the facility, and provide shade and an unobstructed view of the building, Peadon focused on perforated metal’s light-diffusing benefits. The desired “ghosting effect” was accomplished by layering two patterns of perforated metal in two directions. Applying the logo as the additional layer created a branding opportunity, plus an open view of the building.
The perforated metal, which diffuses 20% sunlight, closely matched materials used in the building interior, which features elements of steel and airplane cable.
The expansive metal screen, installed in nine panels, comprises 0.125 in.-thick aluminum with ½-in. round holes in a 0.688-in. staggered pattern. The logo is cut from a slightly different perforated metal pattern of 0.127-in. round holes in a 0.188-in. staggered pattern on 0.125-in.-thick aluminum.

Maintaining the curve
Contouring the flat metal panels to fit a 200-ft. radius was a challenge, said Sandy Hoyle, Sign Systems’ operations manager. Affixing the logo to the contoured screen and maintaining consistent spacing was equally demanding.
“We used our entire shop space to make a full-sized paper template before starting the fabrication,” said Hoyle. “The architect helped us design the fastening points.”
Achieving the curve required notching and placing an aluminum frame behind the screen. The frame, attached to seven, 10-in. x 10-ft. steel columns embedded in 24-in. cement pillars, comprises 2½ x 2½-in. aluminum strips. The ¼-in. aluminum tubes, placed horizontally within the frame, support it. The logo sits 2 in. from the screen, attached with stainless-steel bolts and 2-in. aluminum-sleeved projection mounts.
W.T. Brogdon, VP of real estate at Southeastern Freight Line, said the more than 48,000-sq.-ft., facility is often mistaken for the company’s corporate office, based in Columbia, SC.
Because the metal screen plan was so well received, Southeastern Freight is planning to use it at the company’s new facility in Texas.