Raleigh's Daily Planet Expands Geography Knowledge

ALLISON PARK, Pa. - Oct. 15, 2015 - PRLog -- Remember when most families had a globe in their home? Globes depict a more accurate picture of our earth than maps, as a flat surface does not allow for the differences that exist within a sphere. For example many maps distort the size of Greenland making it appear almost as large as Africa, when in point of fact it is 1/17th its size.

Raleigh’s Daily Planet showcases the $56 million Green Square Complex expansion designed by Fentress Architects in association with O’Brien Atkins (Architect of Record). Included in the complex is a 4-story Nature Resource Center which is an extension of the Museum of Natural Sciences, offices for the state Department of Environment & Natural Resources and a parking structure for 700.

The sphere required very high quality stainless steel for its skin which includes excellent panel to panel matching as pressure sensitive vinyl was to be affixed to it to replicate the land on earth. Reflectivity and long term appeal without signs of degradation were key aspects in the material selection decision which led to Pennsylvania’s Contrarian Metal Resources’ InvariMatte® as the choice to cover the planet. InvariMatte® is a low gloss, non-directional, uniformly textured stainless steel finish specifically engineered for architectural applications.

“InvariMatte's® intricate micro-embossed texture serves to absorb color as well as it diffuses light. It does a great job of referencing color from its environment so it is no wonder it also responds well to lighting effects as seen in the Grand Opening photograph showing the dramatic blue oceans,” explained Jim Halliday, President of Contrarian Metal Resources.

The system for the globe is curved secondary structural steel and includes Overly Custom Rain-screen Exterior and dry joint Interior panels. Building Informational Modeling (BIM) was utilized; it is a digital representation process involving the generation and management of digital representations of physical and functional characteristics of places, objects, entities. Clancy & Theys Construction Company was the general contractor and served as BIM manager.

During forming all components were digitally modeled and coordinated with other trades to ensure conflicts were resolved prior to fabrication. Digital components and patterns were exported to CNC cutting and forming processes for manufacturing. The results of the project (BIM) efforts were 99% accuracy for all fabricated components.

Roy Campbell, Director of Exhibits & Digital Media at the museum reached out to Todd Ulrich at Worldfx Inc., Cincinnati because of his expertise and passion for globes. He has worked with National Geographic and has studied historical globes and cartography. Undertaking special commissions throughout history have traditionally been Royal, in that monarchs wanted to understand the boundaries and topography of their lands.

Research with vinyl graphics on stainless steel tanker trucks led to the desire for high quality stainless steel. Tanker trucks are on the road all the time in all kinds of weather and are able to withstand the weather extremes and maintain their images for long periods of time. Ulrich worked with 3M to determine the best choice of vinyl for the project.

Data of Earth images taken by government satellites were converted to a 60-gigabyte image by Worldsat International, British Columbia which was then laminated and trimmed. This is a painstaking process in that photos are taken continually and must be culled to find the best photos that are suitable for the representation.

This enormously detailed satellite mosaic resulted in about 217 panels being adhered to the surface of the stainless steel sphere. “It took months of projection work,” explained Ulrich, “getting the last pieces to fit was nerve racking.” The globe’s stainless steel panels were heated to 120 degrees, hot enough to roll the maps permanently on the skin. “As the continents took shape, it became clear, long before opening that the Daily Planet was already teaching people science,” he added.

“Ulrich’s knowledge and passion shined through in the entire process,” explained Campbell, “this was Todd’s royal commission.”

Designed to achieve LEED Platinum certification the Nature Research Center has a 10,000 sq ft green roof. It maximizes daylight by having fewer walls and instead more windows. Cisterns achieve water conservation by capturing rainwater. North Carolina’s number one cause of water pollution is storm-water runoff and it has been eliminated. Locally-quarried stone was used as was recycled steel. High performance glazing and sunshades facing south were used in the DENR office building. The building has a raised floor system with a low velocity HVAC system.

The museum is the oldest established museum in North Carolina and the largest of its kind in the southeast. The Green Square complex encourages environmental learning and allows interaction between the public and scientists and their research. The sphere is 70 ft in diameter and is a giant scientific instrument with an interior that includes a state-of-the art theater and amphitheater capable of being viewed from three floors.

Press release written by:
Jan Boston
414-331-0914
nyjanboston@gmail.com