The Emerald Queen Casino & Hotel in Tacoma, Wash., features 310,000 square feet of gaming and entertainment space, including five restaurants, a concert venue, and 2,000 slot machines

The casino is built on the land of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, a sovereign nation that is committed to building a sustainable way of life for future generations. Choosing sustainable products and processes was key to honor and recognize the commitments of the tribe in the design of the casino. Architects chose CENTRIA® insulated metal panels and focused on carbon footprint reduction in construction. 

Choosing CENTRIA

To achieve sustainability goals on the casino, architects and planners knew they had to select an external cladding solution that offered optimal energy performance characteristics. 

“The CENTRIA panels met new energy codes, had the highest R-value, and had the specific color pattern the architects wanted to create a visual image reflective of the tribe’s artwork,” said Matt Rassmussen, project manager for Flynn Companies. “A really nice part of the project was that we were able to order the number of panels as needed to do the job so there was very little waste.”

Installers encased the casino in more than 130,000 sq. ft. of Formawall Dimension Series panels in four colors – Black Gray, Software, Cyberspace and Brite Red – to create the pattern desired. The 2.5-inch panels were installed 18 square feet at a time from 45 to 110 feet in the air. 

In addition to the Formawall Dimension panels, the casino building envelope utilizes CENTRIA MetalWrap and IW-10A rainscreen panels for added moisture barriers. 

Integrating the metal panels with other external features – including a Conair window system and an external 32-by-147-foot LED screen for promotions – was possible because contractors and installers could secure CENTRIA panels with custom sizes and configurations that were tailor-made for the unique space. 

About the Product

The high-performance Formawall Dimension Series is an insulated metal panel that delivers a distinct wall profile for any building design. With concealed clips, fasteners and sealants, the building design and colored metal panels stand out and offer optimal protection from water and wind.

For Emerald Queen Casino, the Formawall system was installed over MetalWrap insulated composite backup panels and IW-10A rainscreen for increased protection and less coordination.

MetalWrap integrated attachment systems are the ultimate backup wall for all rainscreen systems and are permanently bonded to a poured-in-place foam insulated core. MetalWrap combines with the IW series rainscreen panels that eliminate exposed fasteners for a clean aesthetic with fast installation. 

IW-10A metal rainscreen panels are excellent for both new construction and retrofit projects and offer shortened installation time while creating an ultimate weathertight barrier. 

Doors Open

The $370 million casino opened to the public on June 8, 2020 after two years of design and construction.