Rigidized® Metals and Performative Beauty
A Q&A with Kevin Porteus, Architectural Project Manager
What do you mean by the phrase “performative beauty”?
Kevin Porteus: The phrase “performative beauty” comes from the acoustical and durability performance of our acoustical panels due to the deep texturing and acoustical mat enveloped in the panel, combined with the beauty that our deep texturing provides in the material.
What are the benefits texturized metals provide beyond just being an attractive surface?
KP: The deep texturing provides greater impact resistance. It hides the scratching and denting that occurs on surfaces in high-traffic areas. Aesthetically, you don’t see the scratches in a deep-textured metal because while the scratch is there, it’s only on the very top part of the deep-textured pattern. So it’s not a continuous scratch line, and aesthetically, it becomes nonvisible.
Is maintenance difficult?
KP: No. In fact, when people ask us for maintenance information, we provide very simple guidelines provided by the Specialty Steel Institute of North America (SSINA). The easiest form of cleaning is just a mild detergent in warm water. Wipe it down, rinse it off with a wet cloth, and then dry it.
At the (716) Food & Sport in Buffalo, N.Y., acoustical panels from Rigidized® Metals add a dramatic design element.
Let’s talk about Rigidized® Metals’ acoustical panels.
KP: With a 1-inch-thick Johns-Manville acoustical mat with a 33 percent open-textured perforation, we have an NRC rating of about .76. That is a good NRC rating, especially for a metal acoustical panel. So you get the acoustical benefits and also the aesthetic appeal that the deep texturing provides. We can either do it in a stainless steel finish or now we have introduced powder coating. So you can also add color to it…any color you can think of from the powder coat spectrum.
How do Rigidized® Metals’ acoustical panels bring “performative beauty” to a restaurant operation?
KP: With that performative beauty in the stainless steel or a powder coat, it can fit almost any environment. Since all of our acoustical panel projects are custom made, we can fit it to almost any application. We’ve done ceiling panel projects and wall panel projects. You can run these acoustical panels all the way down to the floor because of the durability of a deep-textured metal acoustical panel. They have the durability to survive quite well in a high-traffic area.
Our acoustical panels are a turnkey system. We make our panels on a custom basis to the project size requirements, and they come with a Z-rail fastening system. So it’s a very easy install and can get shipped right to the jobsite, ready to install by the contractor.
The (716) Food & Sport bar/restaurant uses a variety of metal acoustical panels in its design. Photos courtesy of Jim Cavanaugh Photography
What sets Rigidized® Metals’ acoustical panels apart from other panels?
KP: We’re one of the very few metal acoustical panels available in the market. When we add the deep texture to it, it simply enhances the panel’s aesthetics and furthers the durability. People like the idea of a metal acoustical panel for the durability and with our .76 NRC rating, that’s a sufficient rating to be included in a lot of applications.
At Rigidized® Metals, we like to say, “we take metal and make it better.”