Metal Panel Installation Projects
Warren, MI
General Motors RESS BCDC Formation
General Motors built their new battery cell prototype center at its Global Technical Center campus in Warren, Michigan. This investment is part of GM’s ongoing expansion at its Tech Center, where the automaker has invested $2.5 billion.
The facility, constructed by Walbridge, encompasses over 350,000 square feet of floor area next to the recently completed Wallace Battery Cell Innovation Center. Universal Wall Systems was contracted to furnish and install approximately 240,000 square feet of Kingspan’s custom Optimo horizontal metal wall panels to enclose both the buildings and associated trestle. Universal Wall Systems worked with the project team to provide a pre-award wall panel design that would work optimally with the structural design while still meeting the aesthetic intent desired by the architect and owner.
San Antonio TX
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas
The Toyota Motor Manufacturing’s Texas expansion plan included a new standalone building and expansion of existing facilities, with a building footprint of more than 500,000 square feet. Universal Wall Systems was chosen to be an early member of the project team based on our expertise and prior track record to provide accurate early and ongoing budgets during the design assist phase of the project. The project proceeded as planned and was comprised of 120,000 SF of Kingspan’s vertical Shadowline wall panels, 20,000 SF of Morin draft curtain, and 10,000 SF of various Kingspan architectural wall panels (Optimo, Vale, and KarrierPanel) to clad the office structure.
Detroit, MI
Detroit & Northern
The 1133 Griswold Street project will completely remediate and rehabilitate the long-abandoned building to create 6,110 rentable square feet of commercial space and 25 Class A multifamily units.
Built in 1921 as part of the United Savings Bank of Detroit, it was used then, and throughout its operable period, as office space. The building underwent interior and exterior renovation that was completed in the 1970s and included the demolition/removal of its original historic façade, concrete blocking in most of the Griswold façade window openings and subsequent attachment of metal supporting structure for solid granite slab cladding. The building has since been vacant for decades. The newest renovation that will completely refurbish this historic structure inside and out includes a completely new façade made of lightweight aluminum composite cladding that is intended to mimic the stone columns and cornices of the adjacent building. Utilizing cold formed metal framing and a series of different shaped ACM wall panels, the new façade will provide a modern twist on the historic building that will both blend with the adjacent architecture and last for decades.
Marshall, MI
BlueOval Battery Park Michigan
Ford has established a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery plant in Marshall, MI, called BlueOval Battery Park Michigan. This plant will be run by BlueOval Battery Park Michigan, a wholly owned Ford subsidiary.
Ford anticipates that BlueOval Battery Park Michigan will create more than 1,700 jobs. BlueOval Battery Park Michigan plans an annual LFP battery production capacity of approximately 20 gigawatt hours. The batteries built at the facility will power Ford’s future electric vehicles.
The facility is 1.8 million square feet, comprised of a cell plant and a pack plant. Additional support buildings take the total operation to approximately 2 million square feet. BlueOval Battery Park Michigan spans 500 acres, with another 230 acres originally set aside for Ford now available to the Marshall Area Economic Development Authority for future commercial activity.
Universal Wall Systems was contracted to complete the exterior enclosure for most of the buildings on campus. The overall enclosure was comprised of approximately 785,000 SF of Kingspan’s vertical Shadowline wall panels, as well as an additional 14,500 SF of interior foam and mineral fiber core wall panels. The interior wall panels were specified to be utilized as both unrated as well as fire-rated separation walls to cordon off spaces within one of the support buildings.
Warren, MI
General Motors Wallace Battery Cell Innovation Center
The Wallace Battery Cell Innovation Center, established at General Motors’ Technical Center campus, serves as a pioneering hub for the advancement of electric vehicle battery technology. This facility significantly expands GM’s operations in battery cell technology, aiming to expedite the development and market introduction of electric vehicle batteries that offer extended range at reduced costs.
Universal Wall Systems was engaged early in the façade planning process to provide material and detail options that exceeded the thermal and performance requirements in addition to meeting the aesthetic required for the highly architectural design. The façade was comprised of horizontal insulated wall panels, KarrierPanel insulated barrier walls, and custom ACM wall panels of varying colors and shapes. In all, the envelope design facilitated the initial enclosure of the building so that the interior trades could start in a controlled environment while the installation of the architectural façade ran concurrently on the exterior.
Stanton, TN
Ford BlueOval City
BlueOval City is a cutting-edge auto production complex spread across nearly 6 square miles in west Tennessee. This facility will be dedicated to manufacturing next-generation electric F-Series pickups and advanced batteries. This Campus will reimagine how electric vehicles and batteries are designed, built and recycled – all Built for America.
Universal Wall furnished and installed more than 950,000 square feet of Kingspan’s insulated metal wall panels, across eight different buildings. Based on the size and scope of this overall project site, the management and logistics associated with the successful completion had to be tightly coordinated with both the general contractor as well as other trade partners to ensure overall success.
Kalamazoo, MI
KRESA
The Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency has developed a new independent career and technical education center tailored for high school students and adult learners in western Michigan. It showcased a two-story building with spacious high-bay areas dedicated to transportation and construction trades training. Additional facilities include labs and learning studios for advanced manufacturing, agriculture, animal sciences, culinary arts and hospitality, health sciences, information technology, and supply chain management. This $85 million, 162,000 square foot facility was funded by an anonymous donation. Universal Wall installed multiple panel systems including aluminum composite panels, vertical insulated metal wall panels, perforated screen wall with a modern appeal to complete the building envelope creating a high-performance rainscreen.
Detroit, MI
Henry Ford Detroit Pistons Performance Center
This state-of-the-art performance training and athletic medicine center consists of three interconnected structures. Spanning 183,000 square feet, the Detroit Pistons structure houses the team’s practice facility and corporate headquarters. It caters to the practice and training requirements of players and staff, and provides office space for basketball operations, coaching, and administration.
The envelope of the building was primarily completed with Kingspan’s KarrierPanel to ensure a timely insulated enclosure that would allow the interior trades to start as soon as possible. Once the envelope was completed, the exterior façade could be installed without impacting the interior trades. The architects chose a mixture of both stainless steel profiled panels from Morin and aluminum composite panels to provide a visually appealing aesthetic. The project was named project of the year in CAM Magazine.
Spring Hill, TN
Ultium Cells
Ultium Cells LLC, a joint venture between LG Energy Solution and General Motors, expanded its presence in the US with three new battery cell production facilities. Universal Wall Systems was chosen as the insulated metal panel contractor for both the facility in Warren, OH, as well as Spring Hill, TN. Both Ultium Cells facilities each span 2.8 million square feet. Each of the design build projects featured a combination of perforated screen wall, aluminum composite panels and 360,000 square feet vertical foam panels.
Kalamazoo, MI
Zoetis Animal Health Products
This project involved the construction of a new two-story manufacturing facility spanning 53,000 square feet at the company’s East Kilgore Road site. Universal Wall furnished and installed insulated metal wall panels.
Orlando, FL
Camping World Stadium Expansion
The Camping World Stadium Improvement Project enhanced various facets of the stadium, including upgrades to the north endzone seating bowl, modernization of restrooms and concession areas, improvements to club-house seating, installation of new premium mezzanine clubs on the east and west sides, and enhancements to the parking lot and building systems. Universal Wall had the privilege working alongside Barton Malow to furnish and install metal wall panels, mineral fiber panels, flashing, counterflashing, sub-girt framing and accessories for a complete wall system across all the luxury suites in the stadium.
Holland, MI
LG Energy Solutions
LG Chem invested $1.7 billion in expanding its battery factory in Holland by 1.4 million square feet, and created approximately 1,200 new jobs. The increased capacity is designed to support the production of large lithium-ion battery cells and packs for electric vehicles, serving customers such as Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, and Tesla.
Coolidge, AZ
Nikola Motor
This $600 million factory is located on 430 acres in Coolidge, Arizona. It produces the battery-electric Nikola Tre, a cab-over truck designed for hauling loads within a 300-mile range. Subsequently, the factory manufactures the Nikola Two semis, equipped with hydrogen fuel cell and battery power systems.
The facility spans 1 million square feet and has the capacity to produce 35,000 zero-emission trucks annually, operating with two assembly shifts.
Liberty, NC
Toyota Battery Plant
Toyota is injecting an extra $8 billion into its electric battery manufacturing facility in Randolph County, which created 3,000 new jobs in North Carolina. Situated on the 1,825-acre Greensboro-Randolph Megasite in Randolph County, this facility ranks among Toyota’s largest globally. Universal Wall Systems installed various panel types on the exterior of the sites firehouse including insulated metal wall panels and fire engine red aluminum composite panels.
Marion, IN
General Motors: Marion Metal Center
General Motors has invested $491 million at its Marion, Indiana metal stamping operations to prepare the facility to produce a variety of steel and aluminum stamped parts for future products, including electric vehicles, built at multiple GM assembly plants.
