Known as SoDo, the 70,000-square-foot South of Downtown Orlando complex is a mixed-use, “livework-play” development that seamlessly integrates marquee retailers alongside luxury residential units, office space and restaurants. Located in one of the fastest growing U.S. cities, the 22-acre development helped to transform an industrial block in Orlando into a thriving urban activity center.

CENTRIA supplied 11,745 square feet of 22/26-gauge Formawall Dimension Series 2-inch horizontal and vertical wall panels in Fashion Gray; 8,515 square feet of 22/26-gauge Formawall Dimension Series 2-inch horizontal and vertical wall panels in Chromium Gray II; and 5,877 square feet of 22/26-gauge Formawall Dimension Series 2-inch horizontal and vertical wall panels in Dove Gray. All panels were finished with a smooth Fluorofinish coating.

The building team chose metal since it could be adapted to meet the project’s multiple aesthetic and performance needs. The three alternating gray tones on CENTRIA’s Formawall Dimension Series panels create a subtle contrast that gives the development a unique and distinctive visual appeal. The gray metal panels also blend well with the other neutral-hued building products used on the development.

Since SoDO is a major component of the Orlando area’s recent transformation and renaissance, the building team needed the development to look trendy and modern. Also, to keep it looking contemporary, the building team needed a product that would look good over the building’s life cycle.

The project also presented some design challenges in that it required a building material that could be curved as well as formed into sharp corners.