The Buffalo Thunder Resort, in New Mexico, is the new project utilizing Flex-C Trac from Flex-Ability Concepts. Located 12 miles north of Santa Fe, N.M., and sited on 587 acres, the resort is designed to be a Four-Star destination and includes a 150,000 square foot casino, a 390-room Hilton and complete luxury and conference amenities. The resort opened its doors this past August and also includes a golf course and full-service spa.

Approximately 7,000 linear feet of Flex-C Trac was utilized to create spectacular theming elements, soffits and radiuses, but the primary use of Flex-C Trac was in ceiling and soffit applications. 

“Some of the soffits had huge drops-15 to 20 feet from the deck above. There were also many extremely heavy theming elements that had to be supported from above,” said Ryan Smith, project manager of KHS&S Contractors, the company responsible for installing the product. “Due to the height and the complex shapes and angles we were dealing with, we needed to be able to pre-form the shapes on the ground. The Flex-C Trac allowed us to do that. It’s very easy to work with. Once we were happy with the shapes, we attached the Flex-C Trac to our sub ceiling which was heavy gauge studs acting as joists 12 or 16 inches on center spanning the steel beams. In some cases, we constructed complete soffit systems on the ground and then lifted them up and secured them in place.

“We’ve used Flex-C Trac in the past and like the benefits of it,” Smith said. “The structural capabilities of the 16 gauge Flex-C Trac were extremely important in our decision to use the product. This kept us from having to bend and/or cut metal of the same thickness, which would have been very difficult and time consuming.”