English (11/12-04) With Metal Tracks

Shapely Steel Home Gets Curves With Metal Tracks

Perched on a wooded Minnesota hillside above a secluded wetland preserve, the 12,000 sq. ft. Jain residence blends into its surroundings. The unusual shape of the building fits in with the rounded oak canopies surrounding the home in St. Paul, MN.

Shaping the home…

The exterior walls feature a combination of curved and planar surfaces. To build these shapes, structural steel studs were utilized. All of the curved surfaces in this home were constructed from straight studs provided by the steel framing contractor and structural curved tracks supplied by Radius Track Corp. Densglass gypsum sheathing with a multi-colored EIFS finish was used on the exterior.

The shape had to be consistent on the top and bottom of the structure. The simple cylindrical curved walls used track formed to identical shapes for the top and bottom plates; the straight studs were installed vertically between the tracks at even parallel intervals.

The large and dramatic conical surface at the front of the home was framed with straight studs in a "ruled pattern" and attached to the curved tracks that differ in shape. The studs were leaned in at different angles to form the correct geometry. The layout point for each stud was marked on the tracks to simplify field installation. Other wall surfaces were constructed using a combination of elliptical tracks and straight studs to create twisting shapes.

The tracks were chosen for necessity, but also to meet the tight schedule, the exact measurement and quick installation.

Finishing touches…

The home’s interior presented other challenges. There were very few straight walls, so the contractor purchased a Track Bender from Radius Track so curved tracks could be made onsite. Soffits and walls are a few of the applications the Track Bender was used on.

Arteriors Architecture of Wayzata, MN, designed the Jain residence. Emerald Builders of Minneapolis, MN was the general contractor. W. Zintl Inc. of Stillwater, MN, was the contractor for the exterior and interior steel framing.

© Copyright Metal Home Digest, Nov.-Dec. 2004

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