Sto Case Study: West Lake Commons Lifestyle Retail Center

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Oct 29, 2024

Timeless Design Meets Enduring Performance

West Lake Commons Lifestyle Retail Center is a mixed-use retail complex that, upon its completion, will feature a number of individual buildings dedicated to retail shopping, groceries, entertainment, and more.
For its design, the building exterior needed to possess a timeless look that would offer enduring performance and a fully engineered system that encompasses all the control layers and came with a single-source warranty. That is why architects at Virgo Gambill switched their specification from fiber cement siding to StoCast Wood, resin-cast wood grain planks from Sto. In addition, StoCast Wood offered a much wider range of colors and an authentic wood appearance.

Curb Appeal Meets Performance

The project design required the vast majority of the exterior to feature a wood finish. For these portions, the original design intent for fiber cement siding would have delivered the appropriate look but ultimately compromised the cladding over the long term. Therefore, the architects opted for StoCast Wood: lightweight, flexible, pre-engineered resin-cast wood grain planks that won’t chip, fade or warp.

From an installation perspective, StoCast Wood planks are easy to apply, require no fasteners and can be painted or stained with the selected color for a natural wood look. They can be finished in a wide range of glossy or matte colors to meet a project’s requirements. This project utilized the Ironwood Stain in a matte finish.

West Lake Commons Lifestyle Retail Center features 4,500 square feet of StoTherm ci finished with StoCast Wood and 5,500 square feet of StoTherm® ci finished with Stolit® 1.0, a ready-mixed, acrylic-based, premium textured wall finish, enhanced with Sto Optilink® advanced polymer technology. The remainder of the building exterior incorporates traditional brick, which was specified for a modern, multi-cladding look. The brick also matches a neighboring nursing home.

“When choosing a cladding manufacturer for this job, aesthetics and performance were at the top of the list, but material availability and ease of installation were also critical,” said David Daniels of Tucker Materials, the distributor on the job. “Alternative products only give you the look of wood, but StoCast Wood delivers on both aesthetics and performance.”

Sto’s exterior wall products are all designed to work as a complete, integrated system. That means even when several different cladding materials or finishes are selected, the layers backing them up provide an uninterrupted thermal and weather barrier that remains consistent across the structure.

Acing the Install

The applicators, Georgia Carolina Stucco, opted to pre-stain the StoCast Wood planks at their facility and then transport them to the job site for installation. This application helped speed up the installation process and minimize weather or scheduling issues that could’ve arisen.

The StoCast Wood resin-cast shapes integrate seamlessly with the other Sto products on the job – Stolit® 1.0 and StoTherm®ci – because of the consistent, uniform control layers.

“I am always a firm believer in using one system,” said Frank Reddick, project manager at Georgia Carolina Stucco. “With Sto’s EIFS, you add the entire air and water-resistive barrier, install the thermal continuous insulation board, and then can add on different variations of claddings. It’s really beneficial to use one system from one manufacturer with one warranty.”

Reddick explained that using multiple cladding materials from different suppliers creates points of failure across a building envelope. This is due to different flashings as well as transitions between cladding materials.

“We are big believers in using materials from one manufacturer instead of having two or three different products that you have to find a way to fit together,” added Reddick.

Complete System Performance

Sto’s fully engineered StoTherm ci system, finished with StoCast Wood, provided West Lake Commons Lifestyle Retail Center with a complete air and water-resistive barrier, continuous insulation, and drainage while achieving multiple aesthetics to bolster the development’s curb appeal. The StoTherm ci system imparts greater energy efficiency through 2-inch continuous insulation for an R-value of 7.2. In addition, Sto systems are tested and meet NFPA 285 fire rating standards for non-combustible exterior walls.

“What you can achieve with these systems is fantastic,” added Daniels. “The StoTherm ci system gives you insulation, fire tested performance, and a breathable air and weather barrier. That’s the total package.”

Georgia Carolina Stucco commended the project team on their communication and collaboration.

“It is rare to achieve the level of communication that occurred between us as the subcontractor with the general contractor, architects, and Sto. It was all very well organized, and everyone had great input,” said Reddick. “As always, Sto answered all of our questions and helped us overcome hurdles throughout the project.”

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