
Fairmont Pacific Rim
Fairmont Pacific Rim in Downtown Vancouver BC, Canada
Located in downtown Vancouver, BC, Canada, a 44-story hotel was designed by James KM Cheng, just blocks from the Pacific Ocean. Zahner became involved when the architects opted for a perforated screen system which would disguise the first few floors of office and parking structures, while allowing light and air to enter through the thousands of tiny perforations.
What sets this perforated screen apart from standard fare is its unique surface design, a patterned perforated and bumped texture which subtly glistens across the surface. Architects wanted to solve two problems with one solution: creating a parking garage with an open air-flow, and an artistic facade surface that reflected the building's natural surroundings.
Using Zahner's proprietary ZIRA™ Visualizer, architects supplied Zahner with a photograph of the surrounding forest. The image was transferred onto the metal using perforations and dimples in the stainless steel. All across the building's structure, trees create vertical lines running up and down the facade, and the forest emerges.
View of the Fairmont Pacifc Rim Facade.
Photo © Tex Jernigan
Translating the Image to Metal
The architect supplied a photograph of redwood trees taken in the surrounding nature of Vancouver, pictured below. The image was translated using software originally developed by Zahner for the de Young Museum in San Francisco.
The translated image data was applied across the metal surface algorithmically to account for panelization. Each of the perforated metal panels is designed with metal flange details that the ZIRA™ Process had to account for in the process of translating data. The image flows seamlessly across these panels and around the building's corner edges.
Original Photograph supplied to Zahner for the ZIRA™ Visualizer Process.
Image courtesy James KM Cheng.
The architects wanted to create a rippled effect with the metal, to create a surface both luxurious and functional. Using the ZIRA™ Process enables the architect to create this surface at a cost not much higher than a uniformly perforated surface.
No panel is the same, and the pattern never repeats itself across the stainless steel surface. Both the perforated surface as well as the bumped and dimpled texture were produced using a system of CNC-controlled punches and dies.
The final effect is a surface that must be seen in person. The photograph below is a screenshot from Google Maps Streetview of the Fairmont in Vancouver.
View this project in Google Streetview.
Image courtesy Google.
Transferring the tall forestry image above to the the surface of the metal required a several step process including computer aided design and advanced algorithmic programming. The processes are then automated so that the punching, bumping, and perforated are rapidly produced. To learn more about the process with which we were able to transfer this photograph to the metal surface, visit our ZIRA™ page.
The project was fabricated using a custom Angel Hair™ processed finish on bright annealed stainless steel. The unique reflectivity of the stainless steel alloy combined with its bumped texture creates a sense of liquid on the metal's surface.
Photo © Tex Jernigan
Photo © Tex Jernigan
Photo © Tex Jernigan
Photo © Tex Jernigan
Photo © Tex Jernigan
Detail of the Fairmont Pacific Rim perforated panels and signage.
Further Reading for the Fairmont Pacific Rim
The Fairmont Hotel was featured in multiple publications:
- 2010 Canadian Architect Owning the Podium
Boddy, Trevor p. 26-32 - Google Maps: Fairmont Pacifc Map on Zahner Earth
- Wikipedia: The Fairmont Pacific Rim Article on the Building
- Zahner Product: ZIRA™ Visualizer for translating an images to metal
- Zahner Product: Drop & Lock Panels for efficient installation
- Zahner Product: Angel Hair™ Bright Annealed Stainless Steel
More Projects
- 18.36.54
- 200 Eleventh
- 40 Bond Street
- 400 Fifth Avenue
- 65 East Goethe
- Alexandria Parking Structure
- American Heritage Museum
- Apple Stores
- Argosy Casino
- Arkansas House
- Art Gallery of Alberta
- Art Wall at Doha University - Student Center
- Baja 600
- Bartle Sky Stations
- Basrah Sports City Stadium
- BOK Center
- Bowdoin College Museum of Art
- Broad Art Museum
- Cats Paw Lounge
- Cerner Corporation Headquarters
- Clyde Frazier's Wine and Dine
- Columbia University
- Contemporary Jewish Museum
- Cooper Union
- Cowboys Stadium
- Daeyang Gallery
- Dallas Fort Worth Airport
- de Young Museum
- Dream Downtown
- El Paso Courthouse
- Eugene Federal Courthouse
- Experience Music Project
- Fairmont Pacific Rim
- Fisher Center
- Guggenheim Canopy
- Guggenheim Hermitage Museum
- Hands of Man
- Hoag Rawlings Library
- Hunter Museum of American Art
- Independence Temple
- Instructional Centre at UTM
- Irving Convention Center
- Juilliard Stairs
- Kansas City Star
- Kansas City Zoo
- Kauffman Center
- Kauffman Stadium
- Lake Whitney
- LAPD Memorial
- Liverpool Mexico
- Lumenhaus
- McCoy Federal Building
- Miami Intermodal Center
- Miyake
- MOCA Cleveland
- Morimoto
- Morphosis Exhibit
- Murphysboro Sculpture
- Museum of Science and Industry
- NASCAR Hall of Fame
- Neiman Marcus
- New World Symphony
- Nissan Studios
- Noisette Pavilion
- Oakley Headquarters
- Oculus
- Ohr-O'Keefe Museum
- Ovitz Residence
- Power & Light Bridge
- Pritzker Pavilion
- Rosenthal Museum
- Royals Crown
- September 11 Museum
- SFMTA Ticket Kiosks
- Shafran Planetarium
- Sidra Medical Center
- Silver Towers
- SMU Collins
- Spaceport America
- Standard Parking
- Stony Brook
- Suzanne Roberts Theatre
- Tacoma Art Museum
- Tacoma Museum of Glass
- Taubman Museum
- The Dodge Building
- The Modern in Fort Worth
- The Smithsonian
- Treasure Island
- Trinity River
- UNMC Tower
- W Hotel
- Weatherhead School
- White Chapel
- Winds of Aphrodite
- Winspear Opera House
- Wyly Theater
- Zahner Headquarters
- 100th Anniversary SMWIA
- Ray and Maria Stata Center Exterior
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.
The Zahner App is now available for iPhone. Features hundreds of projects by artists and architects.

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.
Stay current...
Follow @azahner on Twitter.
Zahner iPhone App
Art & Sculpture Competition
Hands of the Artist
Zahner Expansion Update
Follow @azahner on Twitter
Employee Email Access
A. Zahner Company
1400 East 9th Street
Kansas City, MO 64106
T:816.474.8882
F:816.474.7994
Employee Remote Access



-tex-jernigan.jpg)





-tex-jernigan.jpg)



