Archer Government Complex

Case Study

In 2008, the Laramie County Board of Commissioners of Cheyenne, Wyoming, contracted with DLR Architect Group of Denver to complete a facility study for the downtown County facilities. The proposed project, the Archer Complex, would eventually replace the existing downtown Cheyenne facilities, which were evaluated to determine ways to best use space in the existing buildings to accommodate future growth of County government departments. The complex would also encompass a shooting range and county fairgrounds, among other facilities.

Problem

The project was initiated with three main goals, one being to identify the space needed for county functions and services, with the growing community, it was imperative to plan for the future growth. Relocating county services and facilities to the Archer Complex was also important to plan for with a newly structured complex.

The Archer Complex’s intention was to function as a multi-use, campus environment that reflects the rural character of Laramie County. The infrastructure and buildings were to be designed in the same element to help blend into the prairie landscape. The buildings also needed to incorporate angled roofs, natural materials and sustainable design.

Solution

To assist in the construction of the Archer Complex’s Recreation Center, DLR Group worked with Houston-based metal wall and roofing company MBCI. DLR decided on 27,634 square feet of MBCI’s SuperLok® standing seam metal roof panel and enhanced the design with 3,125 square feet of MBCI’s Artisan® Series wall and soffit panel. Both panels came in Slate Gray with the Signature® 300 finish. The Artisan® Series panel was installed horizontally on the building to provide a unique design that helped enhance the building’s window installation.

DLR wanted to include a wide array of earth-tone colors and textures to provide a Western feeling that blended well with the Wyoming landscape. Additionally, with the numerous windows included on the building to provide for natural light, metal roof was used as shade covers over the windows, which fit nicely with the geometric lines the roof and wall panels provide. The metal wall panels contrast very nicely with windows to add extra dimension to the building.

Metal was chosen for this project because it blends well with the landscape, it is available in a wide variety of colors and textures and it provides unique architectural lines. The owner and architect were also interested in its weathertightness capabilities, the warranties available and its durability.

CH Yarber Construction of Cheyenne contracted the project and the DLR Group of Denver, Colorado, designed the project. Construction began in August 2011 and completed in January 2012. In May 2008, county residents had approved a Special Purpose Tax to fund Phase 1 improvements, including the new roof for the Archer Complex Recreation center.