Art Wall at Doha University - Student Center

Completed in the Summer of 2010, Helix is a project designed by artist Jan Hendrix , produced with architectural firm Legoretta & Legoretta of Mexico. Zahner engineered and produced the painted aluminum panels and substructure in Kansas City and shipped the completed pieces to Doha, Qatar, where local installers placed the large metal plates on both the interior and exterior frameworks.

The project involves hundreds of massive water jet cut and painted aluminum panels, and includes a 40' high tower in the center courtyard.  The pattern cut into the panels replicates the drawings of Jan Hendrix. 

doha-artwall-jan-hendrix-drawing

doha-jan-hendrix-artist-studio

Designed to Build

Jan Hendrix worked closely with the Design Assist Group to develop the project for production. The artist's team provided a digital model of the project, as well as multiple physical models as the design progressed.

doha-artwall-model

doha-artwall-model-detail

doha-artwall-model-2

The project required close attention to each panel's relation to one another, so that the artist's lines would transition without breaks from panel to panel.  This is called the "Parametric Relationship" and it's a key part of the ZIRA™ Process. 

From left to right: Jan Hendrix, Zahner President  CEO L. William Zahner, and Zahner Engineering Director Paul Martin
Photo© Mike Sinclair

The completed project features the artist's pattern on both the interior and exterior of the student center.  Note how the lines transition smoothly across seams from plate to plate. Our ZIRA™ Process allowed his drawings to automatically transfer through every step of the process, all while maintaining its parametric relationship.

Each half-inch plate is 20 feet by 8 feet, and the material was water-jet cut on our system of the same size. To see more collaborations with other artists, including works by Jan Hendrix, visit Hands of the Artist™.

Zahner worked with the artist, Jan Hendrix, to define his image digitally so that it could be water-jet cut and fabricated into a cohesive composition with smooth lines flowing across multiple panels.  

doha-artwall-panel-zahner-shop

 

doha-qatar-detail

 

doha-artwall-night-lights

doha-artwall-jan-hendrix

doha-artwall-bill-zahner-jan-hendrix-reflection

doha-artwall-interior

doha-student-center-qatar

doha-art-wall-jan-hendrix

doha-tower-student-center

The public artwork and courtyard is located in the outer edges of Northwest Doha, Qatar. View a map of Education City Student Center in Doha. Learn more about producing similar surfaces in Water Jet Cut Aluminum by Contacting Zahner.

More Projects

News & Updates

"Zinc shows its mettle" -  The Miami Herald 4/20/2013

 

Zahner's Director of Marketing, Gary Davis, discusses the benefits and uses of Zinc in architecture.

 

Read more...

The Zahner App is now available for iPhone. Features hundreds of projects by artists and architects. iPhone App

Tessellate™ kinetic metal surfaces by Zahner and ABI released: visually stunning and environmentally responsible.

Introducing the Hands of the Artist™ division, where Zahner engineers and craftsmen produce projects for artists.
Visit Zahner's Hands of the Artist website

Stay current...

 

Follow @azahner on Twitter.