Metal Building Envelope Systems
G&L Associates is a metal building envelope specialist. We specify, detail, and supply the Centria insulated metal panels and rainscreen that carry the air, water, vapor, and thermal barrier of the wall, for architects, general contractors, and building envelope contractors across North America.
What the building envelope has to do.
The building envelope is the line between conditioned space and the weather: the walls and roof that control air, water, vapor, and heat. Get it right and the building is comfortable, durable, and efficient. Get it wrong and you get drafts, condensation, water intrusion, and energy waste. Modern energy codes have raised the bar, requiring continuous insulation and a continuous air barrier, and that is exactly where metal panel envelopes excel.
An insulated metal panel (IMP) is the envelope in a single component. Two metal faces are bonded to a foam-insulated core, so one factory-built panel delivers the structural face, the continuous insulation, and the air, water, and vapor barrier at once, with an interlocking joint instead of a field-assembled stack of layers. Fewer parts, fewer failure points, faster to a dry building. Rainscreen and single-skin systems handle the drained, ventilated facades and accents. Manufactured by Centria, delivered by G&L.
- Since 1974
- Metal envelope specialist
- 1,000+
- Envelopes supplied and detailed
- 40M+
- Square feet of metal delivered
The envelope specialist between design and the field.
We do not install the wall. We make sure the right envelope is specified, priced, engineered, and delivered, so the architect gets the performance the drawings intended and the installing contractor gets a package that goes up clean.
Envelope selection
We match the Centria system to the wall: IMP for high-performance barrier walls, rainscreen for drained facades, backup panels behind masonry, and screening where it is needed.
Detailing & engineering support
Our detailers resolve the corners, openings, parapets, and transitions where envelopes leak, and we coordinate stamped calculations for wind load and attachment.
Performance & energy
We help hit continuous-insulation R-value targets and continuous air-barrier requirements with the panel and joint, so the envelope passes inspection and performs for decades.
Procurement & coordination
We price, procure, and schedule the envelope package to the site nationwide, working alongside the general contractor and the building envelope contractor.
High-performance envelopes across every building type.
G&L has delivered metal envelopes on laboratories, hospitals, stadiums, schools, and civic buildings where the wall has to perform. A few from the portfolio:
- Laboratory & researchArgonne National Laboratory · Promega · Rosalind Franklin
- HealthcareSt. Alexius Medical Center · Aurora Medical Center
- EducationKishwaukee Community College · Daley College
- Sports & civicLambeau Field · Rusu-McCartin Boys & Girls Club
One accountable source for the metal envelope.
Instead of chasing the manufacturer, the detailer, the estimator, and the supplier separately, you work with one Centria envelope specialist who has done it on more than a thousand buildings and over 40 million square feet of metal. That is fewer gaps between the drawings and the wall, one number to call, and an envelope package that is right before it ships. Manufactured by Centria, delivered by G&L Associates.
The building envelope, answered.
What is a building envelope?
The building envelope is the physical separator between the conditioned inside of a building and the outdoors: the walls, roof, windows, and doors that together control air, water, vapor, and heat. A high-performing envelope keeps water out, limits air leakage, and holds a continuous layer of insulation, which is what drives comfort, durability, and energy code compliance.
What is a metal building envelope?
A metal building envelope uses architectural metal wall and roof panels as the exterior skin and barrier of the building. Insulated metal panels (IMP) are especially efficient because a single factory-built panel carries the metal face, the continuous insulation, and the air, water, and vapor barrier at once, rather than assembling those layers separately in the field.
Do insulated metal panels count as the building envelope?
Yes. An insulated metal panel is an envelope component: it delivers the structural face, the thermal barrier, and the air and water barrier of the wall in one sealed unit. That is why architects use IMP to hit continuous-insulation and air-barrier requirements with fewer parts and fewer failure points.
Does G&L Associates install the building envelope?
No. G&L Associates specifies, details, engineers, prices, procures, and coordinates the metal envelope package, then delivers it to the site. The general contractor or erector installs it. We are the specialist who makes sure the right envelope is designed and supplied, working alongside the building envelope contractor and GC.
Who supplies metal building envelope systems nationwide?
G&L Associates supplies and ships Centria metal envelope systems across North America, coordinated from Des Plaines, Illinois. As a Centria architectural metal specialist since 1974, we support architects, general contractors, and building envelope contractors with the panel package on more than 1,000 projects.
Bring us in early.
Send us your drawings and we will help you choose the right Centria system, detail it, and price it.