Retail & Commerce

CVS Las Vegas

December 9, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Flagship, Retail & Commerce, Storefront Las Vegas--Nevada Jacobs Grey, Silver L 2016 /by cmorris

CVS Pharmacy at Bally’s Casino

CVS Pharmacy at Bally’s Casino in Las Vegas is a unique flagship store designed by Jacobs featuring a custom structural facade system by Zahner.

In a city known for its flamboyant neon and kitsch architectural statements, this Las Vegas Boulevard stands on its own, while making a marked departure from the local architecture.

The design for this project may have some of the most uniquely powerful branding and signage that the city has yet to see (and this is Las Vegas). The CVS Pharmacy at Bally’s Casino has a signage system whose reflective letters provide an eye-catching animated effect for cars and passersby. This innovative signage system is the result of weeks of design charettes, and several months of engineering and fabrication.

CVS Pharmacy at Bally's, Las Vegas

PHOTO © A. ZAHNER COMPANY.

What makes the signage system intriguing is its clever illusion, a result of the design’s collaborative process. Jacobs, the architects behind the project, brought Zahner in as a design assist contract to develop a branded sign system. Using a combination of LED backlighting, selective polishing, and algorithmic perforations, the team developed a unique concept and produced a mockup.

The mockup was produced in Kansas City, and was shown and inspected by the project team. The team used the mockup to identify any issues with the fabrication, and then began manufacturing the piece for delivery in Las Vegas.

Mockup for the CVS Pharmacy in Las Vegas.

PHOTO © A. ZAHNER COMPANY.

The mockup provided valuable feedback into the structural design, giving the Zahner engineering team insights into moving forward on the actual construction. The full-size mockup also provides the designers and clients with an accurate vision of the letter’s clarity.

After this phase one design and mockup process, the project moved into fabrication and installation. Zahner provided both the architectural exposed structural steel (AESS) as well as the stainless steel panel system.

In all there were 182 assemblies and 9000 SF of 304 stainless steel produced for the project. The skin of this uses a 14ga material. The parts were manufactured as part of a custom fabricated rain screen panel with factory applied ZIRA / ImageWall pattern.

All of the exterior visible surfaces have a Glass Bead matte finish with the exception of the brand’s logos, which are polished to a mirror finish. The project’s 182 assemblies are each slightly curved, and supported by an aluminum support strut located outside of the weather wall.

Detail of the stainless steel panels for CVS pharmacy, Las Vegas

PHOTO © A. ZAHNER COMPANY.

DETAIL OF THE STAINLESS STEEL PANELS FOR CVS PHARMACY, LAS VEGAS

PHOTO © A. ZAHNER COMPANY

PHOTO © A. ZAHNER COMPANY.

CVS PHARMACY AT BALLY’S CASINO, LAS VEGAS

PHOTO © A. ZAHNER COMPANY

CVS PHARMACY AT BALLY’S CASINO, LAS VEGAS

PHOTO © A. ZAHNER COMPANY

Nike Scottsdale

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Flagship, Retail & Commerce Scottsdsale--Arizona TVA Architects Blue-grey M 2013 /by cmorris

Nike Scottsdale, Arizona — Concept Store

In early 2013, Zahner began working with Nike to produce a series of concept and flagship stores for several cities in North America, starting with an innovative store in Scottsdale, Arizona. The new stores, designed by TVA Architects in Portland, represent a shift for Nike towards a new immersive branded store.

The design build process for this project is among the fastest that Zahner has been a part of to date. The entire design, fabrication, and installation process was completed within the span of a single month at a cost below what the client had estimated.

Perfectly Perforated

Over the early 1990's, patterned usage of perforated metal began to appear. At the time, the pattern were limited by programming. It wasn't until the early two-thousands, when Herzog & de Meuron designed the de Young Museum, that perforated metal would truly enter into its own.

The Nike store in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Note the water misters used to cool visitors).

Detail view of the Nike store in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Sideview of the Nike flagship store in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Detail of the metal panel system used for Nike Scottsdale.

Meeting the Architect’s Vision

When the Nike/TVA design team first approached Zahner, they had already produced a fiberboard model of the desired surface and envisioned the facade as a durable architectural metal panel. Nike’s design emulated a pattern found on the soles of their shoes. They could reproduce the surface in rubber and plastics, but didn’t have a way of fabricating the surface in metal.

The architect's model, used to prototype the metal surface.

The model was sent to Zahner’s Design Assist Group, a team of engineers, shop artisans, and designers. The Design Assist Group serves as Zahner’s think tank for approaching complex and unique designs. The team worked quickly to determine what systems could work and developed a solution that made creative use of several existing technologies in the Zahner factory.

The resulting product was an embossed, perforated, and folded surface – a highly intricate and completely custom metal facade.

The Zahner-prototyped mockup, produced in aluminum.

View of the historic and current Nike logos on the Scottsdale store.

Improving the quality, reducing the cost.

Zahner’s design team begins with an idea that seems complex or unfeasible, and they simplify the process to reduce the unknown and eliminate the unnecessary. The result is an intelligently engineered product that saves time and cost for the client.

The installation process was also simplified by Zahner. Each panel was unitized and fabricated as a simple Drop and Lock™ system, so that the installers could efficiently install the panels. Because the surface is being installed on additional stores, it made sense to unitize and engineer these panels to reduce the margin for error and make the best use of field time.

Consistency and streamlining the installation process make it feasible for Nike stores to implement these facades in various other locations, giving room for the project to expand along with the planning of the upcoming Nike stores. The first store opened in Scottsdale, Arizona (February 2013). Similar stores with Zahner facades are being implemented in two more locations: Atlanta, Georgia (June 2013) and Cleveland, Ohio. (August 2013).

Overall view of the Nike store in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Neiman Marcus

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture, Interior Architecture Retail & Commerce Natick--Massachusetts Elkus Manfredi Charcoal, Gold, Orange, Silver L 2007 /by cmorris

Neiman Marcus Flagship Store by Elkus Manfredi

The Neiman Marcus in Natick, Massachusetts is the store’s Flagship property featuring a billowing facade designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects in Boston. The entire surface of the building is wrapped in a stainless steel curtain, a feature which flows throughout and into the building in the same style.

Elkus Manfredi Architects designed the facade’s undulations with perspective in mind. When travelers drive by, the structure appears animated and kinetic, an effect caused by the way the facade curves in and out. Zahner worked with the architects to design a curving facade panel system that is both aesthetically powerful as well as economically effective.

Related System

Neiman Marcus

Related Surface

Neiman Marcus

The skin is actually three different tones of colored stainless steel. Two of these tones were formed by a electro-chemical process which permanently changes the tone of stainless steel. Zahner has used this process for several other projects, including the Contemporary Jewish Museum which has a dark blue interference coating and a cross-fire brushed pattern. Interference stainless steel was also used on the The EMP Museum, The Meyer Fletcher Residence, and the Royals Crown at Kauffman Stadium.

In addition to providing the exterior scope, Zahner also manufactured interior metalwork for the department store interior entrance. This interior wall uses a similar subtle curvature made in a lightweight ZEPPS framework. This scope included the ceiling area, made in a stainless steel with standard polish.

The exterior scope included various metal details, including the soffit at the Neiman Marcus entrance and the throughout areas underneath the facade’s curtain. Providing these standard details for the facade and other areas is typical of Zahner scope. The company routinely handles interior and exterior standard metalwork on a variety of projects.

Related System

Soffit

Soffit systems engineered and manufactured by Zahner are the result of innovative architects, designers, and artists who challenged the norms of what to expect in the built environment. Working with Zahner to develop a custom metal soffit system begins with your design.

Designing the complex curtain system for the Neiman Marcus facade was made possible through Design Assist. Zahner worked with the architects at Elkus Manfredi to develop a design, mockup, and manufacturing process to efficiently fabricate, deliver, and install the exterior metal facade.

Building a dual-curved facade with pre-fabricated panels.

The building’s 570-foot-long undulating stainless steel façade, in tones of bronze, champagne and silver, “waves in and out and top to bottom almost as if someone was wearing a dress and walking,” said Elkus.

Liverpool Mexico

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture, Interior Architecture Flagship, Retail & Commerce International, Mexico, Mexico City Rojkind Arquitectos L, XL 2011 /by cmorris

Liverpool Interlomas Flagship Department Store in Mexico City

Liverpool Interlomas Department Store is a commercial mall development designed by Rojkind Arquitectos with a Zahner-engineered and fabricated facade system. The new Liverpool Flagship Store is part of the Paseo Interlomas Mall located in the Interlomas neighborhood of Huixquilucan a suburb of Mexico City.

Zahner was selected by Rojkind Arquitectos to design the Liverpool Interlomas Facade because of Zahner’s proven ability to design and produce complex curvilinear forms. The process was efficient, on-time, and under budget, which is a result of the BIM-informed digital manufacturing process.

“

Even though we had never collaborated with them, Zahner’s credentials and experience clearly indicated that they were the ideal candidate for this project.

The design and fabrication process we went through has been one of the most rewarding collaborations we have had in recent years.

Gerardo Salinas, AIAPartner at.atcategory

Liverpool Interlomas in Mexico City, designed by Rojkind Arquitectos.

DESIGNING THE LIVERPOOL INTERLOMAS FACADE

The architecture firm Rojkind Arquitectos won the competition to design the flagship store for Liverpool in Mexico City. Designed and built in just over a year’s time, the project’s fast-paced process was made possible by digital construction processes and having all contractors and fabricators on-board with the Building Information Model (BIM).

In early 2011, Architect Michel Rojkind and his design team met at the Zahner Headquarters in Kansas City. There they worked to define the details with the Liverpool clients, the installation contractor, the structural engineer, the lighting consultant, and Zahner’s own Design Assist Group. The teams worked together to design-engineer an integrated model, and then agreed on a section of that model to be built as a mockup.

The flagship store was produced to rebrand the chain with a contemporary image for its Mexico City shoppers, in the same way that other flagship stores such as the Neiman Marcus in Natick Massachusetts re-established their contemporary presence using architectural forms.

Related Project

Neiman Marcus

Elkus Manfredi Architects designed the facade's undulations with perspective in mind. When travelers drive by, the structure appears animated and kinetic, an effect caused by the way the facade curves in and out. Zahner worked with the architects to design a curving facade panel system that is both aesthetically powerful as well as economically effective.

Rojkind and the Design Team meet at Zahner.

Exploded details of the Liverpool Interlomas ZEPPS Integration.

Liverpool Interlomas full section and skin details.

Detail of the mockup for Liverpool Mexico

Within a matter of weeks, a fully-functional mockup was produced and installed on the Zahner mock-up tower, pictured above. The mockup is a crucial stage of the design process, revealing issues to work out in the final iteration, and helping Zahner engineers and fabricators foresee the more difficult aspects of an upcoming project.

The mockup also assisted other contractors on the job. The installer in Mexico City was able to use the mockup to gain an understanding of how best to assemble and install the final components. Zahner worked with the entire design and ownership team to optimize the fabrication and shipping sequences for efficiency so as to meet the demands of the aggressive construction schedule.

Liverpool Mockup on the Zahner Mockup Tower.

Zahner artisans fabricate the Liverpool ZEPPS Components.

This facade functioned as a design-build project, defined by the Design Assist Group at Zahner. This means that Zahner owned the design of the anchoring and worked with the structural engineer on an integrated design. Using the Design Assist Group also means that from the very onset of the project’s planning stages, a team of intelligent designers and engineers at Zahner were defining the details which would ensure a smooth production and installation process.

After producing the mockup in January 2011, the team made subtle revisions to the project’s 3D model. The Liverpool project then quickly went to operations and fabrication. Code-named Project 7, The Liverpool Project was a fast-paced design, build, and supervised install. In less than a year the project went from drawings and renderings to completion, in November of 2011.

Building with ZEPPS

The Design Assist Group at Zahner used the ZEPPS Process to engineer and produce the massive panels which attach to the building’s structure and provide the uniform surface for the Angel Hair Stainless steel skinned surface.

The ZEPPS Assemblies were fabricated and assembled as complete panels in the Zahner Shop in Kansas City, where they were shipped on trucks to the job site in Mexico City. Building the exterior facade with ZEPPS drastically reduces the construction time because the panels simply bolt to existing connections on the steel structure.

Liverpool Installation and Construction.

Installers meet at the Liverpool Interlomas.

Liverpool Flagship Store nears completion.

The project features a diffused Angel Hair stainless steel material for its exterior an interior cladding. In select areas, the project also features Zahner’s GB-60 Process for bead-blasting stainless steel, and a number of bumped and embossed surfaces can be seen throughout both the interior and exterior surfaces.

Interior metalwork for the Interlomas Store.

Issey Miyake

August 15, 2016/in Interior Architecture Flagship, Retail & Commerce New York City Frank Gehry Partners, G TECTS Silver S 2001 /by cmorris

Issey Miyake Tribeca, in Titanium

Issey Miyake Tribeca is a retail store for the Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake designed by Gordon Kipping (G TECTS) with Frank Gehry in a historic cast-iron warehouse building. Located in in the Tribeca neighborhood of lower Manhattan, the store integrates a sculptural titanium ceiling and wall system designed by Frank Gehry Partners as a center piece, extending from a shaft emerging from the cellar floor into a turbulent swirl engulfing the ceiling of the ground floor retail space.
Zahner worked for Kipping and Gehry to produce undulating forms and structural support system for this high fashion store in New York City. Hand-formed and machine-formed Titanium panels were attached to the support system, a complex curving tubed branching form which runs throughout the store and can be seen in several detail shots below.

Related Surface

Issey Miyake

Titanium is a notoriously difficult surface to work with. The material has incredible memory, which is why it’s been re-branded as a smart metal for high-end eye-glasses. In construction, the difficulty with it’s memory is that it wants to revert to a flat form. It also has a much harder huge tensile capacity, which enables it to take greater loads, but also makes it difficult to form.

For the Miyake project, Zahner engineered a flexible system which allowed the Architects to join the installers in New York. Custom-engineered machined stainless steel rotation points gave the metal sheet forms a large degree of leniency. Together the architects and installers manipulated the metal into their desired forms, referencing the fashion displayed on the store’s ground floor and lower level.

Interior surfaces of the Issey Miyake Store in Tribeca, New York City.

Curving titanium drop ceiling at Issey Miyake Tribeca.

Detail of the downstairs basement floor of Issey Miyake Tribeca.

Interior titanium surfaces at the Issey Miyake Tribeca.

Installation process at Issey Miyake Tribeca.

CAD layout for the steel pipe armatures which support the cascading titanium.

The above images show the Miyake Project during construction and the CAD rendering of the structural tubing which the entire sculpture is hooked into. The tubed system as well as the metal surface were developed collaboratively between the architects and the Design Assist Team at Zahner.

The images below are from Gordon Kipping, showing the architect with the artists and fashion designers involved in the project. Also shown are the initional sketches as well as the photographed result of Frank Gehry’s Tornado installation in the Issey Miyake Tribeca.

Video art capture of the designer, the architect, and the artist of the Issey Miyake Tribeca.

Frank Gehry Sketch of the Tornado design for the Issey Miyake Tribeca.

Burberry Chicago

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Retail & Commerce Chicago--Illinois Burberry + Callison Barteluce, Solomon Cordwell Buenz Christopher Bailey Black L 2012 /by cmorris

The Burberry Chicago Flagship Store

The Burberry Chicago Flagship Store features a stainless steel facade system design-engineered and manufactured by Zahner. In the early 2000’s Burberry began a global transition to re-establish the Burberry name as an international brand. As part of this transition, a series of Burberry flagship projects were made, designed by Callison+Barteluce and Burberry Chief Creative Officer Christopher Bailey.

One of the core strategies of Burberry’s transformation has been the re-introduction of its core products through prominent flagship properties. Zahner has been involved as a facade supplier for many concept stores and flagship properties. Designers come to Zahner for the high-quality craft and innovative design-engineered details, which give these stores a sense of quality that moves a brand into museum-quality territory.

Burberry Chicago is no different. Completed in December 2012, the new building features a number of high quality connection details which give the building a unique aesthetic among Chicago architecture.

“

“What I love are the contradictions of the city. It’s a very artistic city, yet it’s also a real business city. It’s an imposing city, yet one with a lot of green space and an attention to outdoor sculpture. Chicago feels like a place where there’s an admiration for something that has a long heritage, and that of course appeals to us.”

Christopher BaileyBurberry Chief Creative Officer.

Zahner was brought onto the Burberry Chicago project to develop a black stainless steel facade and lighting system which would meet the highest standards of museum-quality metalwork desired by Burberry. Burberry’s in-house designers developed the vision, led by Chief Creative Officer Christopher Bailey. In an interview with Michigan Ave, Bailey described how Burberry’s vision meets Chicago aesthetics: “Chicago feels like a place where there’s an admiration for something that has a long heritage, and that of course appeals to us.”

Burberry designers brought in local and national architects to develop details for the project, including Callison Bartluce Architects in New York, and Solomon Cordwell Buenz as the architect of record in Chicago. Heintges Associates served as the building envelope and curtain wall consultant.

The structure features Burberry’s signature check, rotated and fabricated as three-dimensional forms. The check motif has been a part of Burberry’s core identity since the early twentieth century. By simplifying the classic check as a solid graphic and expanding it as into three-dimensional form, the design team was able to successfully unify the brand’s core identity as an architectural icon.

Burberry Chicago flagship store on Michigan Avenue.

Detail of the mirror-black stainless corner connection.

Elevation view of the Burberry Chicago flagship store.

Building the New Chicago Flagship

The facade is a unitized system featuring a black Ti-Stainless Steel (PVD) surface to create the Burberry’s three-dimensional check. PVD stainless steel can be colorized to meet a variety of tones, and is often used for luxury items such as timepieces and luxury architectural fixtures.

The facade for Burberry Chicago is the second in a series of flagship stores to use the dark reflective material. The first was in Shanghai, produced by a local manufacturer in China. Burberry provided to Zahner a small detail from the original facade. The sample was intelligently crafted but it didn’t mesh with the Zahner manufacturing process.

Zahner’s design and engineering team approached the details from a different perspective, employing heavier gauge stainless steel, v-notched corners, and a interlocking system for efficient installation of the metal panel design. The system is also deeply set, providing a strong sculptural feel to the building’s architectural accents.