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University of North Carolina Charlotte – Student Union

One of our recent fiberglass cornice projects is now ready for the students returning to school.  We completed our work over a year and a half ago, but the first full year of service for the UNC – Charlotte Student Center is beginning.  The Student Union at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte in welcoming students for a new year.  We supplied the large fiberglass cornice, pilasters and columns in our Cornicestone FRP material.  This runs around the perimeter of the upper section of the building and around the centerpiece rotunda. 

While we are always pleased to work on a project of this scope, it was especially exciting to be working on a campus that is growing and reinvesting in itself.  Working for Balfour Beatty Construction of Charlotte, North Carolina, we supplied the Cornicestone FRP based upon a cast stone finish provided by the architect.  The exposed aggregate finish was to appear to be large pieces of pre-cast or cut stone.  The large parts could have only been done in fiberglass without redesigning the buildings structural support for all the unnecessary weight.  Cornicestone FRP allows the appearance of a stone with an exposed aggregate, but the large profiles only require light gauge framing to support.                   

The Cornicestone fiberglass cornice was over 7’-8” high at the 2nd levels with staggered false reveals and over 3’-6’ high at the upper cornice section.  The rotunda was configured of large radius panels, radius cornice and 11’ high pilasters.  We supplied over 1,005 separate parts.  All of this material totaled to 47,573 square feet of custom fabricated Cornicestone FRP.                        

As with all of our cornice projects, we detailed the exact profiles on our submittals but also identified the location of each of the parts on all levels of the building.  We indicated the location of the joints, the size of the factory assembled corners and the means for attachment to coordinate the installation.  This attention to detail not only helped identify field issues before they occurred, it also set an expectation level for the architect and the general contractor. 

While we produced this fiberglass cornice in our Cornicestone FRP material, we have produced other cornice applications using our GFRCnext material, our Echo-Stone material, and our standard FRP. So whether you are using an existing or custom cornice profiles, use an expert with over 30 years experience in making cornices for all types of architecture in the right material for your application.  Let DEC provide the solutions to your architectural vision.

http://www.decassociates.com/materials/index.aspx

http://www.decassociates.com/materials/cornicestonefrp.aspx

http://www.decassociates.com/products/index.aspx

Atruim Court, Fashion Island Shopping Center, Newport Beach, California

One of the more common questions we get about FRP is regarding longevity.  We have been producing architectural FRP for over thirty years and have many projects that were produced in FRP and continue to look great.  In fact, one significant project is located in Newport Beach, CA and was installed in 1985.  While the retail space has changed many times in the last 25 years, our cornice material has not been repaired or replaced, only repainted.

The building is part of the Fashion Island Mall called Atrium Court.  It now is primarily a Bloomingdales department store on the upper floor and many specialty shops on the lower floors. We provided the two large upper cornice profiles, the lower bullnose banding and the quatrefoil in FRP.  This project is within sight of the ocean so the corrosive salt air would have attacked either metal or wood if used on the cornice.  FRP is specifically used and formulated to be unaffected by corrosive environments.

So this is just one example of how durable and attractive FRP cornice can be on a building.  We are confident that this material will be performing just as well during the next twenty-five years and beyond.

While we produced this cornice in our standard FRP, we have produced other cornice applications using our GFRCnext material, our Cornicestone FRP material, and our Echo-Stone material. So whether you are using an existing or custom cornice profiles, use an expert with over 30 years experience in making cornices for all types of architecture in the right material for your application.  Let DEC provide the solutions to your architectural vision.

http://www.decassociates.com/materials/index.aspx

http://www.decassociates.com/materials/fiberglassreinforcedpolymerfrp.aspx

http://www.decassociates.com/products/index.aspx

http://www.decassociates.com/products/cornices.aspx

DEC Architectural Composites, offers an unlimited range of textures that are cast into our custom GFRC parts.  In addition to the texture, we can fabricate the part in various finishes depending upon the project requirements.  With our glass fiber-reinforced cement product (GFRCnext), we offer the product in a range of finishes such as integral stone finishes, woodgrain finish or a standard gray finish.  GFRCnext is the next generation of GFRC that combines the physical attributes with a more forgiving reinforced cement product. Each of these products has their advantages and costs involved in fabricating them, but we try to match the finish with the application and the product application.

Our standard gray finish GFRCnext is a primer ready finish for projects that are going to be field painted when they are installed.  This is our least expensive finish that allows for any field modifications or patching to be concealed with a final paint finish.  It is also the easiest finish to touch-up or re-paint as time goes on.

http://www.decassociates.com/projects/ColumbiaAirport/index.aspx

Our woodgrain finish GFRCnext is really a combination of a cast-in woodgrain and either a wood color or a base for field applied staining.  Since the parts have a texture, a stain or glaze can be applied that lodges into the grain while the rest is wiped off. This gives the part a natural two-tone look of real wood.  Woodgrains, of course, can also be painted in white or other colors, if a painted wood look is desired.

http://www.decassociates.com/projects/JWMarriott/index.aspx

Our integral stone finish FRP known as Echo-Stone, is an integrally colored, natural aggregate finish used to match natural or cast stone.  We offer many standard stone finishes or we will custom to match your pre-cast or stone samples.  This is a highly durable finish that can be cast into very detailed, very complex and very large shapes that would be cost prohibitive in anything but a composite material.  This is our most popular finish, although not our least expensive finish.

http://www.decassociates.com/projects/WilliamAndMary/index.aspx

No matter what your choice, a standard gray for field paint, a woodgrain finish or our integral stone finish GFRC, we can fabricate them all in cornices, columns, rafter tails, false beams or any custom shape for all types of architecture for your application.  Please specify either Echo-Stone or GFRCnext on your project. 

Let DEC provide the solutions to your architectural vision.

http://www.decassociates.com/finishes/index.aspx

Stone cornice, GFRC cornice, Cornicestone and Echo-Stone.

We at DEC Architectural Composites,  fabricate a significant amount of cornices each year.  We fabricate both custom and standard profiles in our fiberglass (FRP), Cornicestone, Echo-Stone, and GFRCnext.  What all these types of cornice material have in common is the ease of installation that you get with a lightweight reinforced composite material.  The question we frequently get from our customers usually involves the cost for making a custom mold for their cornice.  The answer to the question is driven by two significant factors, the amount of material and the size requirements for the cornice.  This will determine the cost justification of making a mold or not.

Over the years of custom fabrication, we have refined the ability to create new cornice profiles quickly and inexpensively, so this has become a tougher call.  As a general rule of thumb, you only need about 15 parts to justify creating a new mold.  This is somewhat dependent upon the size of the profile, but is you have an 8’- 0” part length, you will need a requirement for 120’ lineal feet to cost justify the mold cost.  This is just a guideline and although we have created molds for a single item many times; it’s a good starting point.

If making a custom cornice mold is not going to be feasible, DEC has a huge inventory of existing cornice profiles that you can use for your application.  Many of these can be found on our website, but we have many more in storage.  Typically, we will research all of our proposals for existing molds including the use of multiple profiles to “build-up” a large cornice if necessary.  These can be very cost effective solutions when the project does not require a large amount of material.

On the other hand, if your project requires a significant amount of material, the cost for tooling your exact profile custom for your project may not cost you any more than an existing profile.  The cost for making the mold is spread out over the total amount of footage required and may add up to pennies per foot or on the very high volume runs, nothing at all.

So either existing or custom cornice profiles, use an expert with over 30 years experience in making cornices for all types of architecture in the right material for your application. 

Providing Solutions To Your Architectural Vision...........

Materials: The Origins of GFRCnext

DEC has manufactured glass fiber reinforced cement (GFRC) for many years.  As a material is concerned, it has many benefits in being used as architectural ornamentation.  Typically, though it is very heavy and the product can be difficult to install.  We recognized that the construction market still needs a durable, inexpensive, paint grade cement product.  While GFRC had been fulfilling that need for many years, we struggled with issues over installation, field joints and paint bonding. We decided to try to develop something that would combine the positive characteristics yet reduce some of the drawbacks of GFRC.

About 8 years ago, DEC developed a manufacturing process that allowed us to spray a high polymer load cement with reinforcing glass fibers in a thinner wall configuration.  This material was engineered to maintain the strength of standard GFRC, but was lighter and less brittle.  This next generation of GFRC was easier to handle, patch and paint due to the reduction in mass.  With the high percentage of polymer and glass content, the parts were equal to the industry standards for conventional GFRC.

We now have been producing this next generation of GFRC under the trade name GFRCnext.  Since this is the unfinished version of our successful Echo-Stone product, it is very competitively priced.  If you consider the full install cost of this product versus GFRC, we think you will find a cost advantage.     .

So send us your cornice, column or other ornamentation application and we will give you an estimate for your project.  Compare and see all the features and benefits you get with a thin wall, reinforced GFRC profile that looks like traditional GFRC.  After you review the price and performance of GFRCnext, you will convert to the latest advancement in glass fiber reinforced cement, GFRCnext.

Give us your vision and we will match the right material to your needs. 

For Over Thirty Years, Providing Solutions To Your Architectural Vision........ 

Materials: The Origins of Echo-Stone

DEC has manufactured glass fiber reinforced cement (GFRC) for many years.  As a material is concerned, it has many benefits in being used as architectural ornamentation.  Although not a solid cast part, it is somewhat heavy, limiting the part size and the finish quality  Cast stone is the alternative to GFRC, typically cast in smaller sizes, but with a high quality finish.  While cast stone is solid and has a very good finish, it was limited in the size it could be cast because it is solid.  It is also somewhat expensive to make and install.  With this contrast in mind, we decided to try to develop something that would combine the positive characteristics and reduce some of the drawbacks of cast stone and GFRC.

About 8 years ago, DEC developed a manufacturing process that allowed us to cast-in natural aggregates into the material, similar to a cast stone product, but in a lightweight reinforced cast part.   Echo-Stone is a unique material that simulates cast or cut stone. It is a careful blend of cementitious minerals, aggregates, polymers and glass fibers. It is lightweight, strong and versatile stone finish that can be cast into difficult configurations and shapes such as cornices, columns and radius forms. Since it is a polymer glass fiber reinforced cement based product, it is perfect for large profiles and areas where the look of massive stone is required, but is structurally and economically unfeasible.

Echo-Stone is available in a variety of standard colors, but we can custom match a color to your specification using natural aggregates and pigments. We are often required to match natural stone, pre-cast concrete or masonry.

The reason we call it Echo-Stone is that we are creating parts and a decorative system that appears to be stone, but is a lightweight stone.  Since our customers demand a high standard of quality, we need to closely match real stone or echo it, thus Echo-Stone.

So send us your cornice, column or other ornamentation application and a stone sample to match, we will give you an estimate for your project.  Compare and see all the features and benefits you get with a thin wall, reinforced GFRC profile that looks like it was cut from a massive slab of stone.  We can even combine it with our Cornicestone product for applications that are overhead or very large with a matching finish!  

Give us your vision and we will match the right material to your needs.

For Over Thirty Years, Providing Solutions To Your Architectural Vision.