CubeSmart Self Storage

The CubeSmart Self Storage building in St. Petersburg, Florida, doesn’t fit the stereotype of self-storage buildings. The building looks more like an office than a self-storage facility. It features retail on the first floor, with three floors of self-storage above.

 

Real estate firm Altis Cardinal developed the $20 million building on the site of a former low-income motel, and it’s part of a more than $100 million redevelopment project. Access to storage units is through interior corridors, so there are no visuals that suggest the building houses storage units.

 

The CubeSmart building includes more than 31,000 square feet of Kingspan insulated metal panels (IMPs). Two types of Kingspan panels were used: KS Azteco and KS Micro-Rib. Both panels can be applied vertically or horizontally. IMPs provide nearly endless options when it comes to finishes, and colors are easily replicated for franchise operations. Two colors of KS Azteco panels were used on the CubeSmart project – Driftwood and Ascot White – and the Zinc Gray was used for the KS Micro-Rib panels.

 

Altis Cardinal’s CubeSmart aesthetic is part of a national trend in self-storage. More facilities are being built in urban areas, closer to apartment and condominium complexes, so they are convenient for people to access. However, being in a more urban or suburban area likely means a higher design or aesthetic criteria that has to be met. The result is that developers like Altis Cardinal have re-imagined what self-storage can look like.

 

Insulated metal panels also mean fewer trades needed during construction, and a faster speed of build, especially when compared to the traditional block wall and stucco approach used to build many storage facilities. With IMPs, conventional metal studs, insulation and drywall can be eliminated, and the entire building envelope can be done with one panel. IMPs provide the insulation and weather barrier all in one system.