Silver Stone Castle’s grand entry relies on Linetec’s wood grain finishes to mimic medieval aesthetic with the performance of modern metal

The newly opened Silver Stone Castle greets guests with a grand entrance befitting the medieval-themed, 90,000-square-foot entertainment destination in Swansea, Massachusetts. The gothic-arched, portcullis entry looks and feels like ancient, hearty timbers, but is made of modern, durable aluminum finished by Linetec in textured, wood grain and terra cotta specialty coatings.

While each project brings its own requirements, this was a unique opportunity for Architectural Glazing Systems, Inc. (AGS). Its team worked closely with glazing contractor North Atlantic Corp. to realize the owner’s vision in durable materials appropriate for the demanding climate conditions and continuous use.

“The owners initially said they wanted a wood entrance,” said Joe Belanger, president of AGS and a long-time Linetec customer. “The wood door sales rep explained to the GC and project owner that without a substantial overhang to help protect the doors, transom area and portcullis from the elements, you would be looking at a time consuming and costly annual maintenance condition if using all wood product for this exposure. He then suggested the alternative of making everything out of aluminum with a high-performance wood grain finish application.”

Belanger continued, “The decision to go with AGS and Linetec was made within a day after the owner was shown a sample of the product with the wood grain finish.”

Silver Stone Castle’s owners selected Teak and from the available wood species patterns. Unlike real wood, Linetec’s wood grain coatings for aluminum resist weather, humidity, chemicals, corrosion, fire, UV light, insects and scratches. Once installed, the finished metal does not warp, rot or need extra maintenance. The durability of these products often exceeds their lifetime on the building, as the aluminum can be recycled for future use.

To elicit the intended visual effect, the AGS team custom-designed, engineered and manufactured Silver Stone Castle’s enticing entrance as a four-leaf, wood-look doorway with oversized hardware. Above the doors is a large, curved section that appears to be solid wood. Onto this transom area, AGS applied an overlay resembling an open gate. To convey the gate’s wrought-iron aesthetic, Linetec finished this portion in a dark Terra Cotta Sealskin color.

“These are all separate pieces,” said Belanger. “We did the layout and we figured out how to make it using panels and 1-by-4-inch framing.” Before AGS mulled together the material, the metal was first shipped to Linetec for finishing.

Under quality-controlled conditions, Linetec’s textured wood grain finishes use specially formulated powders, inks and films, which are combined with a refined heat-transfer dye sublimation process. This produces no VOCs or other potentially harmful emissions and meet the stringent AAMA 2604 performance standard. The textured Terra Cotta Sealskin specialty fluoropolymer coating is factory-applied to meet the AAMA 2605 high performance standard. The VOCs associated with liquid-applied architectural coatings are safely captured and destroyed at Linetec prior to shipping. The finished material was returned to AGS for assembly. Installed on site, the castle’s grand entrance is surrounded by simulated stonework.

The owners boast that Silver Stone Castle features “some of the most breathtaking and elaborate medieval themed décor.” Guiding its design, the entertainment destination introduces a modern fairytale of an ancient, kind-hearted dragon. After centuries of captivity, she is freed and takes human form to help build a new castle, where families can share happy, fun experiences together.

Housed within the castle walls, visitors will find a massive two-story go-kart race track, a large arcade and separate virtual reality room, indoor rock climbing, a heated indoor pool, and a full-service tavern. The facility offers a 170-person hall with a dance floor plus six smaller spaces to host celebrations, conferences and group quests.