September 2009 - When most people think of government buildings, two images tend to come to mind.

One is that of a windowless, drab building that seems to be made of concrete. The other is decidedly grander: marble pillars, domes that reach for the sky, perhaps a larger-than-life statue or two.

The office building for the Tangipahoa Consolidated Gravity and Drainage District No. 1, Tickfaw, La., doesn't fit into either of these categories.

Rather, the facility's appearance is a sort of ode to a seemingly modest but integral component of the district's work: a steel corrugated drain pipe. Designed by Holly & Smith Architects, Lammond, La., the building received the 2009 Rose Award from the Baton Rouge Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

According to the Holly & Smith Architects Web site, "On the exterior, a cement board rain screen cladding material is used with exposed fasteners. Internal spaces include a large, high-volume boardroom meeting space on one end with reception, a break room and offices in the remainder. The building uses a quonset-type roof structure typically used for barns and machine shop applications."

Looking up and around
The Tangipahoa Consolidated Gravity and Drainage District No. 1 office building was constructed from the roofing system product line from SteelMaster Buildings LLC, Virginia Beach, Va.

Several features, including the structure's arches and internal trim, used 22-gauge (grade-80) steel. This material was also used for the triangular closure panels that go under each arch at the point where it connects to the bent connector, which was made of 14-gauge (grade-50) steel.

Additionally, the rounded, corrugated internal ceiling and liner panel used 26-gauge (grade-80) steel, as well as stainless steel tek, or self-drilling, screws. The building's notched angle, which bolts to the curved beams and receives the ceiling panels, is made of 20-gauge (grade-80) steel.

The curved track--the internal radius trim that attaches to the underside of the arches and receives the 10-in.-thick baton insulation--is also made of 20-gauge (80-grade) steel. This track also provides a transition to which the ceiling panel can secure itself.

The building's gutters, downspouts and external trim consist of a mix of 22-gauge and 24-gauge steel, and the entire gutter system uses stainless steel tek screws.

For its portion of the Tangipahoa Consolidated Gravity and Drainage District No. 1 office building, SteelMaster used AZ180 Galvalume Plus steel. FFJ