Forma Steel recently joined forces with Structural Truss Systems and Elevate Construction Partners Inc. to renovate their home office in the heart of Lethbridge, AB. The results of both the interior and exterior were a success, and project manager John James agreed to talk to us a bit about what steel panels, cladding, and finishes they chose to go with, and why they made those inspired decisions.

Introduction to Elevate Construction Partners Inc.

Elevate Construction is a locally owned, newly formed company, that works on projects from small to big renovations as well as commercial builds. The local camaraderie in the Lethbridge area has been an important aspect to their success so far. James explained “We’ve had great support from Structural Truss, Forma Steel, and the construction community.” The existing building, in the downtown core of Lethbridge, was constructed several years ago (utilizing Structural Truss for the roof and floor joists as well as Forma Steel for the metal cladding). When it came time to renovate in early 2024, James knew which companies to again turn to.

The Exterior

For their exterior walls, Elevate went with Forma Steel’s popular horizontal cladding panel Forma Plank. For the finish, they decided upon Weathering Steel, giving a unique, rustic aesthetic to the outside of their building. With Weathering Steel, the specific alloying elements produce a stable rust layer that adheres to the base metal and is much less porous, producing a better resistance to corrosion. 

The Interior

For the interior, Elevate went with our Slimline panel in a 5-5/8″ coverage. These hidden fastener panels have a thinner profile of a depth of only 1/2″. For their lobby, Elevate chose two juxtaposing colours, Carbon and Iceberg, to create a vibrant feature wall to greet their guests and customers. The inspired design of the slanted angles and inserted window opening makes for an even more visually engaging entrance.

The First Phase

John first became acquainted with Forma Steel during the initial building phase, with a vertical install of our Forma Plank panel in Weathering Steel as one of the main cladding features. This kind of alloy continues to erode over time, so every year that passed made the building cladding slightly change in appearance. Because of this dynamic aspect, John felt confident in the same product when constructing the second phase from scratch, covering even more of the building in Weathered Steel.

The first phase also included vertical Forma Loc panel in a 12″ coverage with minor ribs in 26ga Black. This hidden fastener standing seam panel is available in either minor rib or striations, both of which help reduce the appearance of oil-canning.

Building and Maintaining a Strong Partnership

As always, the partnership between Forma Steel, Structural Truss, and Elevate Construction Partners resulted in a fantastic end product. We agree with John, who calls the renovation “a real win”, and look forward to more collaborations in the future!

To hear more from John and see footage of the building, please watch the video below.