ALPOLIC Case Study: Epic Creative Co-op

Take eleven old shipping containers. Stack them just so. Then build a video production studio around them using the containers as the building’s core. Install donated ALPOLIC metal composite materials on the envelope to connect the blocks. This is the amazing concept known as the epic Creative Co-op.

Turning Used Goods Into New Opportunities

The idea for this cooperative workspace began in 2005 when architectural students from the University of Houston visited the site as part of an assignment to create a land use plan for a rural project. Working with Vic Cherubini, president of the epic Software Group, the team shaped the concept of a multi-purpose studio composed creatively and within a small budget. “I don’t want a building like everyone else’s,” said Cherubini during the planning stages. “I want one that gets you excited about coming to work in the morning.”

To meet the challenge of keeping costs low, the architectural team acquired upcycled and recycled materials and amenities from various sources, including Habitat for Humanity. ALPOLIC’s contribution to the project consisted of metal composite materials, much of it from discontinued colors and product type:

SMX Silver Metallic 4mm, 50" x 196" panels
NNR Nissan Red 4mm, 62" x 123” panels
TBL Black 3mm, 51" x 122" panels
ABE Blue 4mm, 62" x 196" panels

Workers installed a majority of the MCM on and around the shipping containers using an adhesive application called Titebond, which meets various Green Building specifications. While ALPOLIC products are typically attached to envelopes by metal framework, this method not only aligned with the project’s green theme but suited the budget. 

What remained of the MCM was used to fabricate a custom gutter system that carries roof water away from the building. Throughout the process of piecing together the materials, the people at epic remarked how they, “...remain amazed at the things you can do with ACM panels. While they were not part of our original design for the building, they have quickly become the focal point on many of the interior and exterior elements.” (source: epic Software Group)

Completed in late 2011, the cooperative opened the studio’s doors to local creatives in need of space. Tenants of the 5,000-square-foot facility have included software companies, artists, photographers, architects and publishing firms. As recent pictures show, the ALPOLIC finishes on the exterior remain color consistent.

Photo: Chad Patterson, 2023

Operation Encore: Innovation, Sustainability and Green Solutions

The epic Creative Co-op project highlights the philosophy behind ALPOLIC’s Operation Encore program, finding innovative and sustainable uses for expired metal composite materials. Operation Encore encourages not only the use of finishes retired from stock production, but the collection of MCM removed from other projects during renovations. Continued color consistency and product durability allows for older and donated ALPOLIC materials to be used in niche applications like large and small-scale artworks, and community enrichment projects such as community shelters and park structures.

Don’t trash if you can repurpose. It’s a well-worn axiom of the green movement which encourages the reuse of sustainable materials like MCM. We invite you to learn more about Operation Encore and how your next project can benefit from sustainable metal composite materials by contacting the ALPOLIC sales representative in your area. At ALPOLIC, we encourage clients to use our products inventively. The unique designs that result never cease to amaze us.