At 92,000 square feet, the facility is the system’s second largest center, officials said. Sustainable features of the building include locally sourced materials, natural daylighting, low-flow fixtures, energy-efficient lighting and drought-tolerant landscaping.

The project required 43,500 square feet of Pac-Clad Snap-Clad standing-seam metal panels for the structure’s roof. The 22-gauge, 12-inch-wide panels were finished in Petersen Aluminum’s cool granite color.

“We selected the lighter Pac-Clad color to help us go after LEED-silver certification,” said project architect Breck Childers of Childers Architects in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Installation of the panels was completed by Tulsa, Oklahoma-based Harness Roofing.

“There was a lot of complicated detailing on the job,” said Jason Irvin, Harness branch manager. “We field-fabricated a complex gutter design, including custom downspouts and an internal gutter system on a major part of the building. The architect was very involved in the design and installation.”

The architecture of the facility was created to reflect Cherokee history and uses materials commonly used during and after the Civil War.

“The structures of that time frame relied heavily on wood and stone construction materials,” Childers said. “We added the metal roof because of its durability and the desire to be consistent with the standing-seam roofs generally used on most other Cherokee Nation buildings.

“The concept for the Vinita Center started with the idea that architecture should be familiar to the local population,” he added. “At the same time, it should reflect the culture and values of the people it serves.”