IRVING CONVENTION CENTER AT LAS COLINAS' COPPER FACT SHEET
Contact: Diana Pfaff
972-252-7476 or 1-800-247-8464
dpfaff@irvingtexas.com
IRVING CONVENTION CENTER AT LAS COLINAS COPPER CLADDING:
Designer: RMJM Hillier, a North American division of RMJM Group, one of the largest practices in the world with 1,2000 people and 15 offices across the United States, Europe, Middle East and Asia.
Manufacturer: Kansas City, Mo.-based A. Zahner Co. at its Irving facility.
Size: The panels will measure 3 feet by 10 feet
Appearance: Perforations in the copper cladding will graduate from 50 percent to 100 percent opaque in 30 feet, adjusted to create transparency in key parts of the center and to reduce the visual and physical weight of the material. The design was inspired by M.C. Escher's famous woodcut print, "Sky and Water I," which creates a puzzle-like image of birds transforming into fish. The four-story structure will be built with 3,600 tons of recycled steel and skinned with 150 tons of copper.
Installation: The panels will stand 10 feet to 80 feet away from the building. Natural cooling: The panels will help to shade the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas and create a natural cushion of cooling air currents to reduce air-conditioning demand.
Maintenance: The copper will change in appearance over the years, beginning as a warm brown hue and transforming into a rich green-hued patina (similar to the Statue of Liberty), echoing the copper rooftops of Williams Square in the Las Colinas Urban Center and the famous bronze Mustangs of Las Colinas.
COPPER FACTS:
Mythology: Copper ultimately gets its name from the Latin "cuprum," the island of Cyprus, where the metal was mined in ancient times. Cyprus was called "The Sacred Isle of the Goddess Venus," so copper has been associated with that planet and is thought to have, like the Roman goddess Venus, a balancing and stabilizing effect wherever it is placed.
Mental Healing: Copper has also been associated with the Greek god Hermes, known as a catalyst for increasing mental acumen and a quick wit. It is also said to be a good 'conductor' of energies from otherworldly sources -- hence its healing and energizing reputation -- and studies have shown that intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
Copper in America: Besides being a Revolutionary War hero, Paul Revere was a silversmith whose metal company supplied the U.S. Mint with rolled copper for the production of early pennies. The United States' symbol of freedom, the Statue of Liberty, is made entirely of copper.
Random Copper Facts:
Every person in America uses about 30 pounds of copper each year.
The Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas will contain about 150 tons of copper
The Statue of Liberty contains about 100 tons of copper.
The typical new home contains about 500 pounds of copper in wiring, plumbing and brass fixtures.
The Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas
Located in the Las Colinas Urban Center, a premier business address, the $133 million Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas was designed by RMJM Hillier and is slated to open in late 2010. The 275,000 square-foot center, which will be managed by global center operator SMG, includes a 50,000 square-foot, column-free exhibit hall, a 20,000 square-foot ballroom and 20,000 square-feet in breakout meeting space.
About Irving, Texas
Located immediately adjacent to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and in between Dallas and Fort Worth, Irving, Texas, (www.irvingtexas.com) boasts more than 75 hotels and more than 11,000 rooms. Las Colinas is a 12,000-acre master-planned community within the city of Irving, and is known worldwide for its quality and uniqueness. The area has a total taxable base of more than $7 billion and is home to 8,000+ companies, 30 Fortune 500 companies, plus the world headquarters of four. In the next three years, the area will see more than $4 billion in hotel, retail, entertainment, office, residential and meeting facility development, including the addition of a convention center.
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