Awards and Recognition

Recognition for Art & Architecture

“Zahner employees are visionary perfectionists.  Their work raises the level of an architect's abilities. They are artistic and creative collaborators - from design to fabrication to installation - whose incredible abilities make architectural dreams realities.”

— Daniel Libeskind

“Artists trust their firm to bring their designs and dreams to life.”

— Former SMACNA President George Edigner.

“Bill Zahner works with the architect's vision, making designs come to life and, in the process, may bring out something revolutionary. He puts his mind with the mind of the designer to envision the space and movement that he sees and works with every challenge that follows.”

— Antoine Predock

“For many years now Bill Zahner has given support, energy, backbone, and technical assistance in realizing many of my works. From the Weisman Museum in Minneapolis, to the Experience Music Center in Seattle, to the Bard College Concert Hall, all of which would have been made much more difficult without his hands-on partnering with us to accomplish the work. His firm provides exemplary craftsmanship in everything they undertake, and are seriously and extremely committed to Architecture, with a capital A.”

—Frank Gehry

“Without any precedent on which to draw, Zahner, a company whose name is in the Rolodex of every European architect with American aspirations, figured out a way to make 3,000 individual panels pixelated with dents of varying depth to produce the desired image. Seurat would have marveled.”

— New York Times

“Craftsmanship in large buildings is supposed to be dead, killed by Modernist ideology and cost considerations. What this building says is that maybe craftsmanship has a high-tech future after all.”

— Time Magazine , De Young Museum of Art in San Francisco

National and Regional Recognition

• 2011 AIA Honor Award for the Wyly Theater in Dallas Texas.
• 2010 AIACC Honor Award for Architect for the Cooper Union at 41 Cooper Square.
• 2010 Metal Construction Association President’s Award for the Art Gallery of Alberta.
• 2010 North American Copper in Architecture Award for Waipolu Gallery and Studio in Hawaii.
• 2010 Monsters of Design Honor Award for the Zahner North Dock Expansion.
• 2009 New York Construction's Green Project of the Year was awarded to 41 Cooper Square.
• 2009 AIA Design and Craftmanship Award for Kauffman Stadium
• 2009 AIA Design and Craftmanship Award for the Kansas City Power & Light Bridge
• 2009 International Architecture Award for Taubman Museum
• 2009 Capstone Award for the Bartle Hall North Dock
• 2009 The Nascar Hall of Fame Project , 1 Million hours without a lost-time injury.
• 2009 SMACNA - OSHA Work Safe Partnership Award
• 2007 Allied Arts & Craftsmanship Award for the Corinthian Hall Restoration
• 2007 Allied Arts & Craftsmanship Award for the Kansas CIty Art Institute Facade
• 2007 L. William Zahner named Honorary Member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA)
• 2007 L. William Zahner awarded Regional Entrepeneur of the Year by UMKC Bloch School of Business
• 2006 L. William Zahner awarded Copper Medal, Associazone Italiana di Metallurgia (AIM)
• 2006 Associated General Contractors of CT, Award of Excellence for the Lake Whitney Project
• 2004 Award of Merit Cultural Midwest Construction
• 2004 Award of Merit McGraw Hill 1994 Advanced Construction Technology Award
• 2002 OCEA Award of Merit – American Society of Civil Engineers
• 2001 Building Team Project Grand Award for Experience Music Project
• 2000 AFLCIO Labor Management Award – National Recognition
• 2000 Sheet Metal Contractor of the Year Award (L. William Zahner)
• 2000 Engineering News Record – Top 25 News Makers of the Year
• 1999 Top 10 Small Businesses of Kansas City
• 1999 American Institute of Architects Citation for Architecture and the Built Environment
• 1999 Allied Arts & Craftsmanship Awards, Charles Evan Whittaker United States Courthouse
• 1995 Allied Arts & Craftsmanship Awards, Bartle Hall Expansion
• 1995 Environment Excellence Award from the city of Kansas City
• 1994 Outstanding Innovation and Advancement in Construction Technology - McGraw-Hill
• 1993 Allied Arts & Craftsmanship Awards, Missouri Public Service
• 1991 Allied Arts & Craftsmanship Awards, Hallmark Ambassador
• 1991 Allied Arts & Craftsmanship Awards, Shaughnessy Fickel & Scott Offices
• 1989 Allied Arts & Craftsmanship Awards, Midland Theatre Entry Kiosk
• 1989 Allied Arts & Craftsmanship Awards, Sheet Metal Union Hall
• 1989 Allied Arts & Craftsmanship Awards, Renovation of the Kansas Union
• 1989 Sheet Metal Contractor of the Year Award (Leo Zahner, Jr.)

Copper Medal, awarded in 2006 by the Associazone Italiana di Metallurgia (AIM)

Publications & Press

• 2012 GB&D Magazine Inside the Cutting Edge Cover Story by Keith Loria. (Zahner HQ)
• 2012 DesignBoom The Daeyang Gallery designed by Steven Holl by Lauren DB (Daeyang)
• 2011 Architect Magazine Zahner Cloud Wall , by Charles Linn FAIA (Zahner HQ)
• 2011 RUM MagazineTrollkarlen Iplåt Berg, Måns p. 90-94
• 2011 Architektura Budynek uczelni Cooper Union Jorku, Nowym p. 98-105 (Cooper Union)
• 2011 W Magazine The Client Whisperer West, Kevin, (Ovitz House)
• 2010 W Magazine The House that Fell to Earth Davidson, Justin, (Libeskind Residence)
• 2010 Metals in Construction Columbia University Friedberg, Adam 22-31 (Columbia)
• 2010 Canadian Architect Owning the Podium Boddy, Trevor p. 26-32 (Fairmont)
• 2009 The Plan Magazine Cooper Union - New York Raymund, Ryan p. 18-32 (Cooper Union)
• 2008 Manufacturing Material Effects Digitally Defined Manufacturing Zahner, L. William p. 68-78
• 2007 GA Document 95 Morphosis' Wayne Morse Courthouse p. 8-29 (Eugene)
• 2007 Praxis Issue 9 Herzog & de Meuron: Translation Fraser, Alayna p. 68-85 (de Young)
• 2005 GA Document 89 Herzog & de Meuron's de Young Museum p. 62-81 (de Young)
• 2005 Azure Magazine Museum Quality Lehoux, Nic p. 54-59 (de Young)