Worship Center

Angel Gate

June 10, 2017/in Art & Sculpture, Interior Architecture Private Art, Worship Center Kansas City L. William Zahner Brown, Gold S 2003 /by cmorris

Angel Gate at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

Angel Gate is a bronze and aluminum art feature which was manufactured at the Zahner facility in Kansas City. Commissioned by The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, the bespoke metal artwork provides a functional gate entry into an inner worship space.

The artwork is made up of stacked plates of aluminum and bronze. To increase the contrast between the two metal components, Zahner created a stepped layout between each metal plate. This provided a bolder feel for the light gateway. The use of bronze accentuates the gold-gilded capitals of the two Corinthian columns in the doorway, visually integrating the gate with the church’s original late 19th century design and context.

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Queen Anne’s Lace

Zahner worked with Dierk Van Keppel whose studio at Rock Cottage Glass created the glass inlay for the artwork. The metal component of the piece was made in aluminum at the Zahner facility in Kansas City. The aluminum surface is processed with a GB-60 finish, providing a muted reflectivity.

Ornate gate design by Zahner for The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

The interior metal gate open in the church's interior.

The gate closed at The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

Detail of the Angel Gate at The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

HSCC Artwork

January 12, 2017/in Interior Architecture Worship Center Bowling Green--Kentucky Beringer Ciaccio Dennell Mabrey S 2011 /by cmorris

Christ is Risen, a Screenwall for Holy Spirit Catholic Church

Christ is Risen is a perforated metal artwork made for the Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The artwork was produced by Zahner working under BCDM Architects who provided the church’s desired imagery. This image was processed using patented ZIRA (now ImageWall) technology developed for designing custom perforation.

The chapel was completed in 2011. The decision to use perforated metal to depict the church’s iconography was selected as a contemporary alternative to stained glass. The perforated copper surface provides an iconic image which resonates during both the day as well as the evening.

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Church of the Resurrection

PHOTO © A. ZAHNER COMPANY. Founded in 1990, the Church of the Resurrection has grown into the largest United Methodist Church in the U.S. with 18,000 members. Seeking to expand and remodel its existing facility on a 76-acre site, the church is adding an acoustically versatile sanctuary seating 3,500 and converting the existing auditorium into a multi-purpose room.

St. Lawrence

December 30, 2016/in Art & Sculpture Worship Center Lawrence--Kansas SFS Architecture Gold S 1986 /by cmorris

St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center

St. Lawrence Catholic Campus is a church and campus serving students and the greater community of Lawrence, Kansas. Zahner provided the brass inlay for the stained glass, as well as the brass baptismal altar. Working with SFS Architecture and Kathy Barnard glass studio, the team developed a timeless worship and fellowship facility for a college town Catholic community campus.

The design team worked with Kathy Barnard to create a stained glass feature. Zahner was brought into the project to create the custom brass bar elements which curve throughout the stained glass windows. Zahner also fabricated the Baptismal Altar which was designed by Mike Shaughnessy of SFS Architecture.

St. Lawrence Catholic Center worked with SFS Architecture and the University of Kansas to establish design criteria and goals. This included the need to perceptually minimize the building’s scale to integrate with its surroundings. The building’s exterior appearance looks like a typical post-war low-rise residence, blending naturally into the neighborhood.

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St. Lawrence

Detail of the inlaid brass used on the stained glass, custom brass altar and candle holders

Details of the custom brass baptismal altar and candle holders

Architectural interior designed by SFS Architecture

Church of the Resurrection

October 11, 2016/in Exterior Architecture, Interior Architecture Worship Center Leawood--Kansas Gould Evans Associates, HGA Architects Silver L, XL 2016 /by cmorris

United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, KS

The Church of the Resurrection is a new construction for the Leawood congregation designed by HGA with Gould Evans. Zahner provided the exterior secondary structure (ZEPPS), and the stainless steel cladding in Angel Hair finish on 304 alloy.

Seven stainless-steel clad sails, inspired by the seven days of creation, alternate with diffuse slot windows to create a light-filled volume that draws attention upward for reflection, prayer and adoration.

Landscaped parking extends to an arrival plaza, welcoming the community to the sanctuary from all directions. Inside, a thrust chancel platform and a single balcony bring congregants close to the worship leaders, with a variety of seating types allowing flexibility in service size.

United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas.

Founded in 1990, the Church of the Resurrection has grown into the largest United Methodist Church in the U.S. with 18,000 members. Seeking to expand and remodel its existing facility on a 76-acre site, the church is adding an acoustically versatile sanctuary seating 3,500 and converting the existing auditorium into a multi-purpose room.

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Independence Temple

The shape of the design evokes the form of a spiral nautilus shell. Gyo Obata of HOK asked Zahner to develop a conical roof based on a conch shell that he had selected from a large collection of seashells during a design meeting. This form was developed with Zahner engineers into a roof system for the new church headquarters.

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White Chapel

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Education, Worship Center Terre Haute--Indiana VOA Associates Silver L, M 2001 /by cmorris

The John R. and Elizabeth L. White Chapel at Rose-Hulman

Designed by VOA Associates, White Chapel is a non-denominational place of prayer serving the campus community at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. The project was made possible from a generous gift from John White, a Rose-Hulman graduate and local Terre Haute businessman.

Designing the Rose-Hulman Chapel Building Envelope

Zahner was responsible to the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology for the production and installation of the total building envelope. Zahner designed, fabricated, and installed the custom tapered roof and glazing system.

The entire surface was modeled using 3D CAD Technologies to produce custom components that would fit into the building’s unique conical shape. The surface is a No. 4 Satin Finish on Stainless Steel, panelized as a custom flat seam rain screen.

Diamond-shaped stainless steel panels clad the exterior of the nave shell. The shell is split by a series of vertical ribbon windows and a continuous ridge skylight. The entire east end of the nave is glazed, allowing the campus to act as a backdrop for activities taking place within the chapel.

Interior photograph of the chapel at Rose-Hulman.

Photograph of White Chapel at dusk on the Rose-Hulman campus.

Aerial photograph of White Chapel at the Rose-Hulman Institute Campus.

Students dive in the lake in front of the chapel at Rose-Hulman.

Detail of the stainless steel panel system on the Rose-Hulman campus White Chapel.

Sunset at White Chapel at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Dusk at the White Chapel at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Photograph of White Chapel roof at dusk on the Rose-Hulman campus

The shape of the chapel required an engineered design innovation. VOA architect Kevin Curran chose a diamond-shaped stainless steel shingle for the building’s exterior that could hold its smooth form in heavy rain, snow or 92 degree heat. The shingle’s interlocking joints allow each to slip against one another. The skin flexes as the chapel’s surface heats up or cools down. This curtain wall material was tested extensively to ensure it would hold up to all Indiana weather conditions.

Today, the uniquely modern non-denominational chapel continues to serve Rose-Hulman students and campus organizations as a place of spiritual refuge. It has also become a destination for the larger Terre Haute community. White Chapel stands as an example of how culture, beauty and community-building are achievable through close collaboration and understanding between an architect and institution.

Independence Temple

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Worship Center Independence--Missouri HOK L /by cmorris

Independence Temple & Community of Christ International HQ

Independence Temple is one of the first architectural icons produced in the Kansas City region with Zahner engineering and fabrication. Located in Independence, Missouri, the building was built in 1994. At the time of construction, it was the RLDS Temple, and later was renamed Independence Temple.

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White Chapel

Independence Temple designed by Gyo Obata of HOK.

Aerial photograph of the Independence Temple designed by Gyo Obata of HOK.

Photo © Bing.

Aerial photograph of the Independence Temple in Missouri.

Detail of the Independence Temple spire, designed by Gyo Obata of HOK.

A prefabricated element of the roof spire is secured for shipment.

The above picture provides a view into the engineering and construction used on the top of the spire. Union workers at Zahner prepare the part for shipment. After its installation, custom engineered panels are attached to the face of the this sub-structure, resulting in a quick and smart installation.

The solution for producing the roof consisting of more than 300 uniquely assembled megapanels, each tapered and unique in shape. This sheet metal skins of the roof cladding are produced in a custom-finish stainless steel. The complexity of this roof attests to the engineering and design prowess, as well as the skilled Zahner fabricators and installation team involved with this project.

How Buildings were Made in the Digital Dark Age

When this building was made in 1994, the architects at HOK used a proprietary software system to complete their design work. At the same time, Zahner engineers were producing their work using AutoCAD to augment what was still mostly drafting at the time.

Today, everything is defined digitally, but in the 1990’s this task was very manual. To develop the project with accuracy, Zahner took field measurements of certain defining points of the roof, and radioed them back to the shop, where a custom written AutoCAD script was waiting to divide the roof surface into panels.

Today, a similar design would be developed from a digital model. However, at the time, using process was sufficient to give Zahner engineers the tools to produce this very intricate design. If Zahner were to produce the project today, the current technologies would cut the project’s schedule in half.

Grace Farms

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture LEED, Worship Center New Canaan--Connecticut, Northeastern United States Handel Architects, SANAA Silver L 2015 Featured /by cmorris

The River at Grace Farms in New Canaan, Connecticut

Descending into a valley at Grace Farms in New Canaan Connecticut, The River consists of five volumes linked together by a single curving roof. SANAA designed the project with Handel Architects serving as the executive architect. The new building provides a sanctuary, library, court, commons, and pavilion, all under an aluminum roof by Zahner.

Zahner’s Design Assist team was brought into the project for their expertise in engineering and manufacturing systems for custom building envelopes. The panel system provides a subtle dual curvature, and yet consists of standard-sized sheets of exterior anodized aluminum. Zahner developed the roof in close collaboration with the architects, who provided feedback and requirements for its aesthetic performance.

“Our goal with the River is to make the architecture become part of the landscape. We hope that those who are on the property will have a greater enjoyment of the beautiful environment and changing seasons through the spaces and experience created by the River.”
— Sharon Prince, Grace Farms Foundation President.

The River at Grace Farms, in New Canaan, Connecticut

The building's reflective roof appears as a river below the feet of visitors on the hill.

Roof detail for Grace Farms, designed by SANAA.

The River at Grace Farms, exterior anodized aluminum.

Wood panel ceiling provides a canopy for The River at Grace Farms

A landscape painter at Grace Farms in New Canaan, Connecticut.

The Sanctuary at Grace Farms in New Canaan, Connecticut.

The River at Grace Farms, New Canaan, Connecticut

Profile of the roof detail at Grace Farms.

PHOTO © A. ZAHNER COMPANY.

The building's wooden soffit provides a contrast to its reflective aluminum roof.

Grace Farms roof winds its way up the hill.

Grace Farms roof has a warm soffit manufactured in wood.

Creating the Grace Farms dual-curving serpentine Roof

To achieve dual curvatures and other complex shapes, many roof systems use ZEPPS, a Zahner system for achieving sculptural forms in architecture. However, for the Grace Farms project, the dual curvatures of the roof were subtle and didn’t require dramatic curves. So the engineering team at Zahner developed a light-weight system to achieve the shape, without the need for a custom ZEPPS specification.

The roof system was made by the use of several custom aluminum extrusions. These form a channel system between the aluminum skins. Within this channel, a floating aluminum plate snaps into place, which provides a smooth visual transition between the aluminum panels.

Details of the Grace Farms roof system during construction

One of the economic advantages of this custom roof system, is that it allowed for the use of a standard-sized aluminum plate, 20′ in length. The only custom roof panels required are along the roof’s edge, which were cut at custom angles to provide the roof’s contoured edge.

Zahner field installers were also involved in putting together the system, and provided feedback to the engineering team in Kansas City. The system was also simple to install, and provided flexibility for the field operators who put it together — flexibility without sacrificing aesthetics.

Detail of the panels to create the dual curve roof on Grace Farms.

Installers place the structural steel supports for the Grace Farms roof.

The decision to allow the the aluminum roof panels to overhang the building’s edge created an intriguing aesthetic effect. Because of the way that the aluminum interfaces with the building’s edge, the spacing between panels becomes visible against the sky above. This void between panels is further accentuated by the shadows that they cast along the soffit. The shadow provides a kind of sun dial, creating diagonal marks across the building’s profile, visible in many of the photographs of the building.

The sliver of light which passes between the panel’s void provides a unique aesthetic effect, appearing as a sharp diagonal line between the shadows. This sunbeam’s angle changes as the sun passes across the sky.

Installers lay the panels to create the dual curve roof on Grace Farms.

Grace Farms was designed by SANAA with Handel Architects as its architect of record. Sciame managed the project, and Zahner engineering and manufactured the exterior roof system, coordinating the enclosure system with Dahill who provided the waterproofing for the roofing components.