LEWISVILLE, Texas — Insulated metal panels as roofing and siding proved to be the most effective choice for the architectural team and installation crew at the General RV Center store in Orange Park, Fla.

Metl-Span provided approximately 4,500 square feet of insulated metal panels installed as siding and another 8,600 square feet installed as roofing on the new store.

“The heat here in Florida is ferocious,” says Robert Taylor, AIA, of Scherer Construction of Gainesville, Fla. “New buildings of this type are required to have a roofing R-value of 38 and insulated metal panels go a long way in helping achieve that. They certainly speed up the installation process and give you a durable and attractive end product.”

The insulated metal panels were installed as siding on the upper two-thirds of the building and were 2-1/2 inches thick. The siding is a 26-gauge panel, Light Stone in color with a Mesa finish, to complement the split-faced concrete block installed on the lower third of the storefront.

The roofing consists of 4-inch thick insulated metal panels with a 24-gauge exterior finish in Galvalume Plus, coupled with an Igloo White vinyl-faced interior insulation to help achieve the required 38 R-value.

“I’m a big fan of the insulated metal panel,” says Leonard Cassidy, project superintendent for IMP installer Pre-Engineered Steel Inc. of Jacksonville, Fla. “This facility is a metal building system from Ceco Buildings, finished with IMPs from Metl-Span.

“Insulated metal panels were chosen for this project mostly for aesthetics. The inside of the building was open, so the panels are exposed. With insulated metal panels, you can achieve the required R-value and you have the interior skin or protective panel. It’s a clean look. I think when you put the numbers together, it just makes financial sense to use the insulated metal panel.”

Cassidy, who has been with Pre-Engineered Steel for 26 years, appreciates a couple things about insulated metal panels, including the fact that a rainstorm does not stop construction.

“You have to be careful when working with some insulation products,” he says. “They can’t get wet. The summer is our rainy season and it rains almost every day. With insulated metal panels, we can keep working and that’s important because time is money.”