Project Overview
Located in Eagle, Idaho, the Chateau Des Flores is a gathering place designed to handle life’s most special events. The project was the concept of the Roghani Family as a place that becomes a community icon for special life events for the next hundred years and beyond. In accordance with the family’s dream of a beautiful French Chateau, the team selected insulated precast/prestressed wall panels for the exterior wall system.
Precast/prestressed walls are incredibly durable and are designed to withstand gravity and lateral loading. High strength 6500 PSI concrete was used in the construction of the wall panels.
Adding to the comfort of this project, the precast walls were also insulated. Insulated precast sandwich walls have an interior layer of concrete that is inside the insulating envelope. This concrete mass remains at room temperature. Concrete walls that are not insulated radiate cold and are uncomfortable to be near. In contrast, these insulated walls actually retain heat and minimize temperature swings dramatically.
The building’s exterior was designed as a series of walls that are stepping in and out of the exterior plane. Openings, windows, doors, etc. were coordinated so that the aesthetics worked together to provide the look of an amply commissioned traditional French Chateau. To enhance the aesthetics of the walls, panel joints were carefully placed to minimize the visibility of joints with many of them occurring at surface steps in the façade. The final step was to provide a special surface treatment to the concrete walls referred to as a lime-wash. This treatment causes the exterior surfaces to shine in the sunlight providing a very welcoming and refined finish to the building’s elevations. The entire project is very approachable and is inviting to everyone.
The building features a garden-to-table restaurant that is exquisite. An elegant bridal suite provides a special place for brides and bridesmaids that is unequalled and promotes a stress-free environment for the Chateau wedding event experience.
The construction of the precast walls began with laying out the openings and joints so that the panel widths did not exceed the allowable highway shipping widths while at the same time minimizing the number of visible joints. Openings were formed with prestressing and insulating in mind. The prestressing strands were positioned so that multiple panel configurations could be cast with the same strand pattern and could be poured on the same casting table simultaneously. Openings had tight tolerances to allow the custom window shapes to be installed accurately. The panels were poured with the interior side to the form so that the best flat concrete finish would be to the inside of the building. The exterior was trowel finished and treated with a post-pour lime-wash. This gave a whiter color and some reflective qualities. Care had to be taken to make footings and wall-to-wall connections correct and properly placed. Embedded plates allowed the steel roof trusses to bear on and weld to the wall panels. All lateral and seismic forces were also designed into the reinforcing of the panels.
Erection proceeded at the jobsite following the casting of footings. Panels were shipped in installation order to the site where they were stood and braced until the roof diaphragm could be welded in place. The speed of construction and the tight quality control provided a stress-free installation of the building envelope.
The owners invite you to experience the Chateau for yourselves by booking an event or visiting the restaurant. It is a unique experience that invites the community within. It is expected to be a landmark in Eagle, Idaho for centuries to come. |