Museum | Zahner

Exploratorium

Exploratorium Plankton Wall at the North Pier

The Exploratorium is a ground-breaking science museum in San Francisco. Founded in 1969, the museum is known internationally for its pioneering exhibits with hands-on creative displays of natural phenomena. In 2013, the museum opened in its new location after a redesign by EHDD Architects. The design process opened up three times the amount of space for exhibits.

Zahner was brought into the design to develop one of the three artworks devised by Mark McGowan, Art Director for the Exhibit Environments at the Exploratorium:

“My goal was to use the building’s otherwise neutral architectural features to visually display things that would normally be invisible, to express something about the site and what’s there—the tides, the bay water, and the equipment that’s contributing to the museum’s net-zero energy goal—in a visual way.”

Zahner worked with the team to develop the Plankton Wall, a stainless steel artwall which is situated at the Northeast elevation facing the San Francisco Bay. As part of the Bay Observatory Terrace, the Plankton Wall is a semi-reflective surface showing a randomized grid of what appear to be patterned circles. These circles are abstract versions of sketches initially created by Karli Woodward, Living Systems Technician, of four different types of baywater plankton.

Each of the holes which compose the patterned circles were die-cut in Kansas City, composed of only 6 differently sized punches. The wall’s stainless steel panels were fabricated by Zahner in Kansas City, Missouri.

Best Examples of Residential Architecture featuring Zahner

Private residences as well as residential developments require safe design and engineering practices, as well as attractive design aesthetics and craft. Creating unique residential architectural details for endurance of both functional performance as well enduring aesthetics requires careful engineering and smart manufacturing. See below examples of projects including Zahner manufacturing for residential architecture.

Operable doors clad in the Zahner perforated metal open to the ocean bay.

Entrance to the Exploratorium in San Francisco.

Detail of the custom perforated iconography at the Exploratorium.

Photo of the Plankton Wall at the Exploratorium.

Detail of the ocean-facing Plankton Wall at the Exploratorium in San Francisco.

View of the Plankton Wall from the Bay Observation Terrace at the Exploratorium.

Detail off the Plankton Wall view from the Bay Observation Terrace at the Exploratorium.

100th Anniversary SMWIA

August 15, 2016/in Interior Architecture Exhibit, Museum Washington D.C. Frank Gehry Partners Silver, Yellow M 1988 /by cmorris

a Centennial celebration of monumental proportions

To celebrate the 1988 centennial of the Sheet Metal Workers International Association, the organization commissioned the then emerging architect, Frank Gehry, to design a temporary architectural structure to be placed inside the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.

Engineered, fabricated, and installed through a collaborative process, the project was one of the first produced by Gehry with Zahner.

Zahner provided the four types of metal panel used to create the 65-foot-high structure: copper, polished brass, galvanized steel, and terne plate. The varying metal types and tones emphasized Gehry’s vision to represent a city in terms of ‘a collage of disparate pieces.’ Each panel, cut to various size, was placed in thoughtful juxtaposition, conveying a sense of organized chaos.

“

It’s like if you threw a bunch of objects into a can. You would still recognize them all. That’s what a city is, a collage of disparate pieces.

Frank O. Gehry

Zahner engineered, fabricated and installed of this custom sculptural form inside the National Building Museum. The installation was constructed for the Summer of 1988, afterwhich it was dismantled, repurposed and recycled.

Waipolu Gallery

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture, Interior Architecture, Landscape Architecture Museum, Residential Hawaii, Oahu--Hawaii Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Blue, Brown, Indigo, Red M 2009 /by cmorris

Waipolu Gallery and Studio

The Waipolu Gallery, located on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, was designed by Peter Bohlin of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson (BCJ). Built to house a privately-owned collection of post-World War II painting and sculpture, the structure offers a stunning setting for appreciating art.

Zahner fabricated the custom façade finished in Dirty Penny copper. The patinated surface will continue to evolve over time, much like the aging of the sculptures displayed within.

In 2010, Waipolu Gallery received the North American Copper in Architecture award in addition to several design awards for the work of BCJ architects.

Detail of the custom patina on copper panels for the Waipolu Gallery.

Panoramic photo of the Waipolu Gallery and Studio during construction

“The biggest challenge was to make this a great place – to be brilliant to the art for this client, in this place. I thrive on the challenge and the opportunity to make a great building and an extraordinary place. One of the great pleasures in architecture is to be able to reflect people with places and then — how to make things – how to shape them.”
— Peter Bohlin

The gallery’s proximity to the Pacific Ocean to the south and Diamond Head to the northeast afford views from the building itself, shown above (during construction).

Detail of the copper window framing for Waipolu Gallery during construction

Photo of the Waipolu Gallery facade during construction

Detail of the interior metalwork, fabricated by Zahner for the Waipolu Gallery.

“Malleability of the material was important due to the fact that the installation was occurring at a great distance from the fabrication shop and some shaping in the field was necessary,” said the project architect, Campie Ellis. “We also liked the idea that the building’s coloring would change over time, creating an evolving work or sculpture.”

Trinity River

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture, Landscape Architecture LEED, Museum Dallas--Texas Antoine Predock Architect PC Brown L 2008 /by cmorris

Trinity River Audubon Center

Designed by New Mexico-based architectural firm Antoine Predock PC, the new project is connected to one of the largest inner-city forests in the United States. The Building serves as an exhibit hall for both the interior and exterior natural phenomena.

Completed in 2008, the project uses a precursor to Solanum Steel, a surface Zahner designed for long-term durable exterior steel surfaces. Zahner was the producer and installer of the weathering steel wall panels used on the exterior facade.

The is the first LEED-Certified building constructed by the Parks and Recreation Department of Dallas, Texas. It includes a vegetated roof, rainwater collection systems, recycled construction materials and energy eficient systems.

Covered area at the Trinity River Audubon Center.

Zahner is a long-time fabricator and collaborator for Predock Architecture, having provided the engineered facades for the Museum of Science and Industry in Florida, the Hoag Rawling Museum in Colorado, the Tacoma Museum of Art in Washington, and the El Paso Federal Courthouse in Texas.

South entrance for the Trinity River Audubon Center.

Detail of the Trinity River Audubon Center in Dallas, Texas

Detail of the South entrance to the Trinity River Audubon Center.

Aerial photograph of the Trinity River Audubon site.

The Modern

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Museum Dallas--Texas, Forth Worth--Texas Kendall Heaton Associates, Tadao Ando Silver L 2002 /by cmorris

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth is designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando as a new building for the city’s growing collection of contemporary art. Zahner provided its custom aluminum facade.

The new arthouse contains over 2,600 works of art, with a wide range of artworks by artists such as Chuck Close, Anselm Kiefer, Gerhard Richter, Richard Serra, Andres Serrano, Cindy Sherman, and Andy Warhol. The Museum is located adjacent to the Kimbell Art Museum designed by Louis I. Kahn, and near the Amon Carter Museum, designed by Philip Johnson. The previous location for the MAMF collection was housed in a small nondescript building also nearby.

Zahner was responsible for engineering, fabricating, and installing the aluminum facade. Heavy plates of aluminum are a signature style of the architect Tadao Ando, and the surface is used throughout the building.

The facade design used was a Zahner patented Inverted Seam wall panel serving as a pressure equalized rainscreen. The natural aluminum surface was bead-blasted and clear anodized in a custom. The aluminum panels were specially cast to achieve a highly consistent anodized finish. The 5mm thick plates are five feet and width by as long as 25′ in length.

View of the aluminum panels reflected on the north face of the Modern

Inverted Seam® metal system for metal facades

Custom metal details where aluminum wall panels meet concrete slab

The reflected image of The Modern Art Museum at dusk.

View of the Modern with Deborah Butterfield bronze horse sculpture

Detail of the aluminum surface at the main entrance of The Modern

Aluminum soffit canopy and wall panels at The Modern

Roxy Paine sculpture in front of the Fort Worth Modern

The Smithsonian NMAI

August 15, 2016/in Interior Architecture Exhibit, LEED, Museum Washington D.C. Jones & Jones, SmithGroup Ramona Sakiestewa Charcoal, Gold, Green L 2004 /by cmorris

THE SMITHSONIAN National Museum of the American Indian

Zahner was selected for the production of several decorative and artistic elements for the National Museum for the American Indian (NMAI). The Smithsonian-owned NMAI is dedicated to the preservation, study, and exhibition of the life, languages, literature, history, and arts of Native Americans.

The architectural design process included a number of designers and artists, including artist Ramona Sakiestewa, architects Jones & Jones with SmithGroup, and exhibition designers at Gerald Hilferty.

Zahner worked with Hopi artist Ramona Sakiestewa to produce a copper screen wall, a permanent installation in the court of the museum which lines a walkway down to the open space. Copper was chosen to acknowledge the antiquity of the Indian people who lived in the Northeast. It was a widely used material in Mound Builder cultures, which stretched from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, east of the Mississippi, over 2000 years ago.

Photograph of Ramona Sakiestewa (Artist) and Ilze Jones (Architect) for the Smithsonian NMAI

Photograph of Ramona Sakiestewa (Artist) and Ilze Jones (Architect) for the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C.

Photo © A. Zahner Company

Fabrication at Zahner HQ for the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C.

Photo © A. Zahner Company

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN IN WASHINGTON D.C.

PHOTO © A. ZAHNER COMPANY.

National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C.

Photo © A. Zahner Company

Potomac Room at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C.

Photo © A. Zahner Company

Copper screenwall for the National Museum for the American Indian in Washington D.C.

PHOTO © A. ZAHNER COMPANY.

Detail of the COPPER SCREENWALL

PHOTO © A. ZAHNER COMPANY.

National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C.

Photo © A. Zahner Company

PHOTO © A. ZAHNER COMPANY.

National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C.

Photo © A. Zahner Company

Taubman Museum

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture, Interior Architecture Museum Roanoke--Virginia Randall Stout Architects Brown L 2008 /by cmorris

Taubman Museum in Roanoke, Virginia

The City of Roanoke, Virginia is situated in a famously mountainous landscape. Situated at the the southern end of Shenandoah Valley, with Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachians, its location is not where one would think to find a contemporary museum. However, this was the objective, to develop a museum as part of a comprehensive plan to invigorate the city.

Designed by Randall Stout Architects, the building includes a range of metal components manufactured and installed by Zahner engineers and artisans. Zahner was responsible for engineering, fabrication, and installation of the exterior secondary structure and facade. Zahner also provided interior metal surfaces for the project.

The building’s earth-toned exterior is a custom-patina product that Zahner refined for the Museum. Roano Zinc is a zinc plate surface with a custom patina. The preweathered surface provides a stable, matte surface, which stands the test of time against weathering. This preweathered zinc metalwork is used on both the exterior and interior surfaces. The surface of the lightly reflective metal is stainless steel with Angel Hair, a Zahner-patented mechanical finish on stainless steel.

The project’s secondary structure used to create the complex angles and curves used ZEPPS, a system developed by Zahner for constructing unique shapes. The system was used to design and build the complex forms used in the project. ZEPPS simplified the construction process, ensuring a smooth delivery for the building’s unique forms.

Museum of Glass

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Museum Pacific Northwest, Tacoma--Washington Arthur Erickson, Nick Milkovich Architects, Thomas Cook Reed Reinvald Black, Silver L 2002 /by cmorris

Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington

Designed by Arthur Erickson, the Museum of Glass is dedicated to Dale Chihuly, renowned contemporary glass artist and local of Tacoma, Washington. A bridge connects the museum to downtown all the way across a freeway, displaying thousands of Dale Chihuly works along the way.

Zahner produced the metalwork for the glass bridge as well as the massive cone which can be identified throughout the downtown area. The cone was manufactured in stainless steel diamond panel system which was attached to a ZEPPS structural framework, each made by Zahner.

Related Project

Chihuly Bridge of Glass

Zahner served as both the sole contractor and manufacturer in the production of the Chihuly Bridge of Glass. This construction included all structural steel, glazing and cladding elements as well as fiber optics and vacuum HVAC system within the cases.

Arthur Erickson chose to leave the understructure of the ZEPPS assemblies exposed, allowing viewers to enjoy the structure which makes the exterior surface possible. Inside this cone, viewers can also watch live glass blowers producing hot glass pieces. The room reaches 90 feet and has two furnaces reaching temperatures of 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Detail of the diamond panel system used on the Museum of Glass

Detail of the reveals between diamond panels on the Museum of Glass

Interior of the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington.

The project was a major Design Assist effort, meaning that the architects consulted early on with Zahner, and laid the groundwork for designing an intelligent system to produce the complex geometries efficiently.

Each of the panels are made using 22ga stainless steel with an Angel Hair finish. Each row of diamond panels is a unique height and width, decreasing in size as the elevation rises.

Upward view from inside the cone during the construction of Museum of Glass. The left side of this picture, photographed during construction, shows the final surface of the exposed panels. The right side of the photograph shows the the sky filtered through the unfinished understructure of the cone.

How the Architectural Cone was Manufactured

Zahner has manufactured a number of works of architecture featuring cone-shaped elements. The conical design of the Museum of Glass project was manufactured using ZEPPS, a Zahner system for developing complex structures. ZEPPS provides a way to build not only euclidian shapes such as these, but also a method for making non-euclidian geometries.

For Museum of Glass, the architect’s design modeled digitally, and broken down using ZEPPS into layers and sections. This includes both the sheet metal cladding for the exterior rainscreen, as well as larger semi-rectangular assemblies with pre-attached waterproofing membrane.

Next, both the larger ZEPPS assemblies as well as the smaller stainless steel shingles were manufactured at Zahner in Kansas City. These parts were delivered to the Tacoma jobsite. The large ZEPPS assemblies provide the smooth curvature of the surface, and tie into the linear structural steel forms using cold-connections. Then the stainless steel skin is clad across the smooth surface of the cone.

A single ZEPPS assembly is lifted into place on the Museum of Glass

Aerial photo of the Museum of Glass during the final cladding of stainless steel across the surface

Tacoma Art Museum

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Museum Tacoma--Washington Antoine Predock Architect PC, Olson-- Sundbert-- Kundig-- Allen Architects Grey L 2003 /by cmorris

The Tacoma Art Museum in downtown Tacoma, Washington

The new Tacoma Art Museum opened in 2003, doubling it’s square footage from the old museum and creating new flexible gallery space for it’s collection. Zahner provided the custom facade for the building, which was designed by Antoine Predock Architect PC.

The building features several of Zahner’s proprietary systems and processes, including the Inverted Seam Wall and Roof panel system. Use of the Inverted Seam system provides insulation, rain screen, and water-channeling, all on a minimal surface. The surface of the museum includes 36,000 square feet of 14ga. Stainless Steel with a Shadow finished surface.

Related Project

El Paso Courthouse

The courthouse has been recognized around the United States for both its architectural qualities and its environmentally innovative design.

The Tacoma Art Museum in downtown Tacoma, Washington.

Parking for the Tacoma Art Museum in downtown Tacoma, Washington.

Entry for the Tacoma Art Museum in downtown Tacoma, Washington.

View of the Tacoma Art Museum from across the Internstate in Tahoma.

Detail of the stainless steel facade of the Tacoma Art Museum.

Spaceport America

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Airport, Museum New Mexico Foster & Partners, SMPC Architects Brown L 2011 /by cmorris

New Mexico Spaceport Authority Building

Spaceport America is the first private spaceport in the world. Located in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, the new terminal to the stars was designed by Foster + Parners with architectural and engineering services by URS team. The Terminal Hangar Facility is itself a hangar for aircraft, and it provides a space for both the visitors and space tourists, as well as the spaceships themselves.

Zahner was selected as the supplier and installer of the outer Solanum Steel panels which guide visitors into the building. The material is suited both in color and in performance for the New Mexico landscape surrounding the structure. The organic shape of the building rises out of the golden desert as a functional spaceport for the center of international space tourism.

Detail of the eggplant-toned Solanum surface at the entrance to Spaceport America.

Building Spaceport America

Zahner produced the Solanum steel gates which unveil the planes within as well as the tapered entrance as visitors first approach the Spaceport. The exterior’s pre-weathered steel facade panels were installed by Zahner field operators on various aspects of the building envelope.

In addition to fabricating and installing the custom exterior panel system, Zahner was brought on as a consulting partner to explore different artistic possibilities for both the interior and exterior metalwork. The team explored a variety of surface options with the design team.

Spaceport America nears completion in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.

View of the massive Solanum-clad doors on the Spaceport America.

Photograph of the header panels before installation on Spaceport America.

Detail of the Solanum surface at the hangar.

Related Surface

Spaceport America

The project is commissioned by the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) and Virgin Galactic, the company forging the future of space travel for individual citizens. Designed to have minimal carbon impact and meeting many energy requirements, the project is designed to achieve LEED Platinum accreditation.

The low-lying shape of the spaceport benefits from thermal mass, buffering the building from extreme heat and colds common in the New Mexico landscape, as well as catching the westerly winds for ventilation. Natural light enters via skylights, and the glazed east wall provides a platform for viewing the runway.