Exterior Architecture

Spaceport America

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.

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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.

Detail of the Solanum weathering steel-clad gate system.

Silver Towers

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture, Landscape Architecture Highrise, Residential New York City James Carpenter Design Associates Silver L /by cmorris

Silver Towers Courtyard Trellis in New York

Silver Towers is a development in New York City which features Zahner manufactured perforated metal and glass systems. The courtyard, plinth and rooftop terrace design by James Carpenter Design Associates, brings an artistic approach to both the facade as well as the landscape for the residential project.

Between the two high-rise towers is a six floor plinth, the interior courtyard of which features a 75 foot light wall. Various metal and glass light fixtures which feature the artist’s pattern.

Zahner was hired by the architect to design, engineer, and fabricate these metal and glass systems. Each of the fixtures features a perforated metal floral pattern designed by the architect, contained within a glass and stainless steel lightbox.

Also known as River Place II, the project features two 57 floor twin towers and is located in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan Island. The project was developed by Larry Silverstein and completed in 2009.

Perforated panels on Hope Tower at UNMC at dusk.

Related Project

Hope Tower at UNMC

The tower serves provides a beacon for students, serving as both a navigational tool and an artistic centerpiece. Zahner provided the ti-coated stainless steel panels, perforated and prepped for installation onto the architect's engineered frame. These panels were engineered and produced at Zahner at the Kansas City plant.

Silver Towers light fixtures and metalwork.

Silver Towers Mockup at the Zahner shop.

Silver Towers Mockup with lighting system

Above is a photograph of the towers during the day. Zahner produced some metalwork at the building’s top, similar in pattern and effect to those in the building’s courtyard. This rooftop courtyard has not yet been photographed.

Silver Towers is the first project that Zahner has provided metalwork for James Carpenter Design Associates. Recently, Zahner also completed a spiraling 120 foot tower in Nebraska for the architectural firm.

Sidra Medical Center

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Healthcare Asia, Doha--Qatar, International, Middle East Pelli Clarke Pelli Blue, Green, Orange XL 2014 /by cmorris

Sidra Medical and Research Center in Doha, Qatar

The Sidra Medical Center is designed by Cesar Pelli of Pelli Clarke Pelli with the executive architect Ellerbe Becket in Kansas City. The design is a massive Research and Medical Center which will serve both the science and health for local Qatari’s in Doha.

Zahner produced the three massive ‘wings’ which salute the sky using ZEPPS, Zahner’s process for designing and manufacturing complex structural forms. The subtle dual curvature required precise engineering and intelligent organization of components.

The Sidra project was unique for Zahner in a few different ways. Most projects produced using the ZEPPS Process feature a surface skinned with a durable metal such as stainless steel or copper. The client requested a terra cotta ceramic tile rather than a metal surface. While most environments will find stainless steel to be the highest performance materials, in environments such as a Doha, where sandstorms can blast silica into the surface, a harder, ceramic exterior facade was required.

The project was also unique for Zahner in that it was the first structure to use the Export ZEPPS. This means that instead of preassembling ZEPPS megapanels at Zahner, the ZEPPS components were fabricated and shipped in a disassembled state to Doha. There, instead of sending a field crew to Doha, local installers worked from a manual produced by Zahner. The local installers manual to produce the hundreds of unique panels in an on-site facility nearby the construction site. The panels were then crane-lifted and set by installers on each floor of the building.

Aerial photograph of Sidra, substantially completed.

Export ZEPPS for Sidra

Under normal circumstances, the ZEPPS Panels are fabricated and assembled in the Zahner shop. Each completed panel is shipped to the job site, and under ideal circumstances, installed by Zahner’s own field install team. In the case of Sidra, these ZEPPS Panels were fabricated as parts, packed, crated, and shipped in cargo containers to the site where the parts were re-assembled on site by local Qatari installers contracted by Alce Engineering. Below, a Zahner worker organizes parts for crating and shipment.

To organize this overseas project required the production of digital and paper instruction manuals particular to the Sidra Project’s Export ZEPPS. Zahner Engineers worked with the Marketing Department at Zahner to accurately convey all aspects of assembling Sidra’s Export ZEPPS Panels for prompt installation onto the structure.

Photograph of the paper version of the Export ZEPPS™ Manual for Sidra.

Assembly of an Export ZEPPS™ Panel in Doha.

About the Sidra Medical Center

Sidra is part of a new medical zone on the Education City campus. The Sidra Medical Center will also include residential accommodations for about 300 nurses, a car park and a pedestrian walkway to Weill Cornell Medical College. Sidra Medical Center houses over 500 beds for patients.

At full operation, Sidra will employ over 2,000 full time staff, including a team of highly talented and accomplished physicians and scientists to help establish the medical and research facility as a genuine center of excellence.

Shafran Planetarium

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture, Interior Architecture Museum, Renovation Cleveland--Ohio Westlake Reed Leskosky Rose L 2002 /by cmorris

NATHAN AND FANNYE SHAFRAN PLANETARIUM, CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

The Nathan and Fannye Shafran Planetarium in Cleveland, Ohio was designed by architectural engineering firm Westlake Reed Leskosky. Zahner covered the planetarium cone in a custom rose-colored titanium/stainless steel skin, the first outdoor use of the material in North America. Embedded within each panel, fiber-optic lights reference and reinforce the structure’s star-focused purpose.

Related Surface

Shafran Planetarium

Designing a uniquely functional exterior facade system

In addition to the functional aspects of housing the planetarium, the architects used the building’s design to create an ingenious educational opportunity. The building’s chamfered roof is pitched to 41.5 degrees, in direct alignment for visitors to follow the building lines into the sky to locate Polaris, the North Star.

The planetarium officially opened in 2002, and in doing so, set the bar for planetariums worldwide by blending advanced technology with real-world experiences.

The cone is visible from within the planetarium's interior

Nathan and Fannye Shafran Planetarium during the day

The interior titanium surface reflects less light

Viewers can align themselves with the roof from this angle and locate the North Star

SFMTA Ticket Kiosks

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Transportation San Francisco Bay Lundberg Design Silver M, S 2011 /by cmorris

San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Ticket Kiosks

The SFMTA Ticket Kiosks are a series of ticketing booths in San Francisco for accessing the cable car envisioned by Lundberg Design. Zahner manufactured the custom perforated metal components for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. The designers wanted to wrap the top of the booth with imagery of the historic cable cars.

This effect was elegantly achieved by perforating the surface of stainless steel to create the light and dark tonal values of the original photographs. To achieve the mosaic-perforated imagery, ZIRA patented technology was used (designers can now create similar designs using ImageWall to generate custom perf).

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SFMTA Ticket Kiosks

This technology enabled a smooth translation of the designer’s imagery to metal while also also ensuring panel-to-panel relational accuracy. This is crucial on a project such as this: The imagery is divided into a series of panels and wrapped around the sides of the small structure, so it was important that the perforations on each panel lined up with the next panel.

The photos above are from the Cable Car line are located where Powell meets Market in San Francisco. The second kiosk is located at Presidio Avenue and Geary Blvd, pictured below. Above is an image of the completed panels in the Zahner shop prior to shipping to San Francisco. Blue protective film protects the stainless surface from finger prints and dirt prior to installation.

Video and stills courtesy Ryan Hughes of Lundberg Design. Hughes managed the project from the early design phases to the project’s completion, working closely with Zahner engineers and fabricators throughout the process.

September 11 Museum

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Memorial, Museum New York City Handel Architects, Snøhetta Silver L 2014 /by cmorris

National September 11 Memorial Museum Pavilion

The National September 11 Memorial Museum resides in the space between where the Twin Towers once stood in New York City. Designed by Snøhetta with Handel, Zahner manufactured the custom facade skin for the building. The architects worked with Zahner engineers and designers in the Design Assist team to develop the facade system. Zahner unitized the metal systems in Kansas City and then shipped everything to the job site for installation.

Related Project

911 Memorial Overland Park

911 Museum with waterfall at the WTC Memorial.

Striating stainless steel panel system used on the 911 Museum facade.

South facade for the National September 11th Museum.

Developing the 911 Museum Metal Facade

The panels were tested for wind loads and water permeability at a special facility. The panelization method used for the project required welding studs to the reverse of each panel. Zahner-trained fabricators welded the hardware at ideal penetration so that the stud-welds wouldn’t show on the face of the metal panels.

The surface of the metal shell alternates between GB-60 polish and a No. 4 polish on stainless steel. The No. 4 polish has greater reflectivity along a linear grain, while the GB-60 surface scatters light for a more diffused look. This alternation repeats itself as a motif in not only the stainless steel facade, but also across the fenestration surface.

Detail of the 911 Museum facade in New York City.

Zahner's NS11 mockups were tested for high moisture and winds.

Zahner fabricator installs studs on the backs of NS11 Panels.

National September 11 Museum during construction

Detail of the National September 11 Museum stainless steel surface

San Diego Central Library

August 15, 2016/in Art & Sculpture, Exterior Architecture Library San Diego--California Luce et Studio Silver S 2014 /by cmorris

San Diego Central Library Donor Features

Signage, artworks, and architectural features designed by Luce et Studio are featured throughout the new nine-story San Diego Central Library in downtown San Diego. The features include an illuminated mast which spans four floors on the building’s North exterior, a massive-scale replica of an orchestral bow on the exterior of the ninth floor, and custom signage to celebrate the donor spaces throughout the library.

Donor Recognition

Throughout the building’s nine stories and exterior spaces are various signifiers, art elements, and architectural features which created to recognize the generous donations made by the philanthropic community in San Diego. The Central Library’s funding is unusual for a civic building, because forty percent of the costs were covered through private fund raising, including the operational costs of running the library. The private support means that the library was built with no new taxes, bonds, or moneys from the city’s general fund.

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Signage

Signage and wayfinding design has transformed over the years from a purely utilitarian and informational, into art and design. Finding ways to make signage both useful and aesthetic has been a goal of the design-engineering and fabrication at Zahner for many years.

The San Diego Central Public Library at night.

Detail of the Mast at San Diego Central Public Library.

The Mast arrives in prefabricated sections at the site for the San Diego Central Library.

The Mast at San Diego Central Library

Luce et Studio’s design for The Mast for San Diego’s downtown Public Library was designed as a 70′ tall aluminum column, whose diameter ranges from 8′ at its top and bottom, and 12′ at its median.

The Mast is constructed in aluminum with varying perforations which run up around its length. Inside of the mast is an interior LED lighting system, which provides a beacon of star-studded lights which illuminates the facade throughout the evening hours. The mast was manufactured by Zahner in Kansas City, and installed by a local team in San Diego.

The Violin Bow at San Diego Central Library

One of the donors recognized by the Museum is the late Helen Price whose continued philanthropic giving to the museum was recognized by a 30‘ scale orchestral bow to celebrate the San Diego figure’s love for the symphony.

The bow is made using stainless steel and structural cable. Both the bow and the mast were manufactured by Zahner with design support from Wallace Engineering.

Fabricators at Zahner manufacture the signage and donor recognition for the SDCL Violin Bow.

Local installers place the violin bow and donor recognition for the Helen Price Reading Room at SDCL.

The Helen Price Reading Room violin bow artwork, by Luce et Studio at SDCL.

Detail of the head plate for the finished violin bow artwork at San Diego Central Library.

Detail of the Helen Price Reading Room violin bow artwork, by Luce et Studio at SDCL.

Joan & Irwin Jacobs Common

At the building’s South entrance are multiple signage elements for the San Diego Library Joan & Irwin Jacobs Common, recognizing the philanthropist team who donated $20 million towards the library’s operational costs.

The technique used to create the building’s southern pedestrian level signage is a signature style developed by Luce et Studio on an unrealized project for Hotel James (pictured below). The signage concept was developed by Jennifer Luce to create a third dimension for the cut-out letter shapes. Zahner manufactures a groove in each of the letters, which allows the letter to then be folded out. The concept was first created years prior, and is featured prominently as a notable signage display for the San Diego Central Library.

Custom signage concept designed by Luce et Studio for an unrealized Hotel James. The letters, laser cut from stainless steel, become three dimensional louvers, connected by a small tab.

San Diego Central Library signage with custom ornamental detailing.

Joan ? Irwin Jacobs Common donor plaque and signage for San Diego Central Library.

Joan and Irwin Jacobs Common donor plaque and signage for San Diego Central Library.

Library Bar Code Signage

One of the themes that moves throughout the entirety of the library is a bar code motif, extruding from the letter forms of various donor plaques and signage elements on both the interior and exterior surfaces of the library. The extruded letter forms also break planes and wrap around columns, walls, and concrete boundaries.

The thick metals used in the custom signage include stainless steel and bronze, and included areas that are painted, as well as areas that let the metal surface shine through, much of which uses Zahner’s Angel Hair mechanical non-directional surface treatment.

Donald C. & Elizabeth M Dickinson Popular Library ornamental donor signage for SDPL Central Library.

Exploration Floor signage recognizing the donation of Joy & Ed Frieman .

Custom donor signage for the San Diego Central Library.

Custom donor signage for the Pauline Foster Family Teen Center at San Diego Central Library.

Custom signage for the San Diego Central Library.

Joan ? Irwin Jacobs Common signage donor recognition for the San Diego Central Library .

Shiley Special Events Suite

One of the final donors donors for the new library, Darlene Shiley placed $1.2 million towards the library’s operational fund, and her donation is honored with a rooftop events suite. The entrance to the space is clad in interference stainless steel, perforated using a custom pattern. The Zahner system used to lay out the decorative metal screen panels is based on the ImageWall/ZIRA system, which also provides for a muted seam where the perforations continue across the joint’s reveal.

Royals Crown

August 15, 2016/in Art & Sculpture, Exterior Architecture Arena & Stadium, Flagship Kansas City Populous Gold L /by cmorris

Royals Crown at Kauffman Stadium

The new Royals Crown at the Royals Ballpark was designed by Populous in two stages for the Kauffman Stadium. The golden structure was designed to crown the new vertical screen at the stadium, one of the largest screens of its kind in the world.

Zahner was responsible for engineering, fabricating, and installing the Kauffman Stadium Crown using gold interference-coated stainless steel. The metal skin of the interference coating is nearly iridescent, and gives the surface an additional bright sparkle.

This stainless steel also features a machine-indented surface. Imperceptible from a distance, this fine-bumped surface reduces the oil-canned appearance common among thin-gauged metal. Each of the spheres at the peaks of the crown are outfitted with hundreds of LED lights that light up for various effects and illuminate the night sky.

Related Project

Kauffman Stadium

The new structure at the Royals stadium features two sections which use selective perforations in stainless steel to create the image of the Royals logo on the surface of the metal. This perforated surface wraps the entire building, yielding a mesh facade which provides light, air control, and a visually intriguing artistic aesthetic.

Zahner has produced several projects using the interference-coated metal surface, including 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 Experience Music Project, The Meyer Fletcher Residence, and the Neiman Marcus in Natick, Masssachusetts.

Building the Kauffman Crown

The shop photos and CAD images above show the substructure used to build each of the spheres. These were produced using the ZEPPS Process, a system which uses an extruded aluminum substructure to assist in the creation of curving shapes and forms. The ZEPPS Process was developed to simplify the construction of curves on complex curvilinear buildings such as those designed by Frank Gehry and Randall Stout. The physical components used in this process can also be seen on the surface of the Zahner Headquarters building in Kansas City, which intentionally was designed to leave this substructure exposed.

The video below was produced by The Royals to show the way in which Zahner was involved in the production of the Royals Crown a massive Stainless Steel Crown which sits atop the new digital scoreboard and video screen.

The first stage of the Crown was completed in 2008. In 2010, Zahner added a reverse section to the Kauffman Stadium Crown, so that the substructural components would not be visible from the I-70 Highway which runs to the North of the Stadium. Zahner was also responsible for producing the perforated stainless steel Royal Logo facade at Kauffman Stadium. This section wraps around the sides of the stadium, and provides an additional visual aesthetic to the Royals Ballpark.

Rosenthal Museum

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture, Interior Architecture Museum Cincinnati--Ohio KZF Design, Zaha Hadid Architects Black L 2003 /by cmorris

Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art

The Center for Contemporary Art opened in 2003 and is the first Museum in the United States designed by Zaha Hadid. Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, the project uses blackened aluminum, an uncommon patina which was produced with great difficulty, and sealed to decrease the need for maintenance. This custom dark aluminum surface was desired by Zaha Hadid to provide contrast against the light concrete above and below, giving the sturcture an almost anthropomorphic resemblance.

These plates of blackened aluminum use a siding system which repels moisture. These were engineered to interlock in such a manner to control thermal movement without compromising the moisture deterrence requirements. This was important due to the installation on concrete, which breathes. The aluminum plate panel system features custom extruded hardware fastened using matching aluminum studs for a visually seamless system. This hardware is attached to the horizontal aluminum hat channel.

Several years after the initial install, streaks were running down it’s surface, and the owners contacted Zahner to provide repair. Upon closer inspection of the material, Zahner discovered that it was moisture from the concrete which was draining across the surface. The aluminum was cleaned without any problem back to its original finish.

Zahner also completed interior metalwork including a blackened aluminum plaque on the museum’s interior, laser-etched with the names of all the donors.

The Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art.

Southwest view of the Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art.

Interior photograph of the Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art.

Interior detail of the donor list at Rosenthal Center.

Southeast view of the Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art.

Pritzker Pavilion

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Performance Center, Public Art, Urban Design Chicago--Illinois Frank Gehry Partners Silver L 2004 /by cmorris

Jay Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park

Pritzker Pavilion is a one-hundred-foot proscenium located at the North end of Millennium Park in Chicago. Designed by Frank Gehry Partners and manufactured with structural forms by Zahner.

The project consists of fourteen distinct forms, which visually appear as a cohesive whole. Each of these distinct forms is made using a straight stick steel primary structure. A secondary structure manufactured by Zahner attaches to the primary and is then clad in stainless steel by Zahner.

Each of these fourteen shapes serve to form the bandshell, providing protection from the elements while creating a focal point at the stage and orchestra pit of this dynamic outdoor amphitheater. Architects at Frank Gehry Partners began working with Zahner on this project in 1999, which was completed in 2004.

In total there were 697 prefabricated assemblies shipped to the jobsite. These assemblies were clad with over 3,000 stainless steel sheets measuring 2′ x 4′ on average. The sheets used for this project are 22ga Angel Hair finish on A316 stainless steel, a high performance stainless steel alloy containing molybdenum, a metal which provides high corrosion resistance for the metal.

The structure reaches a height of one-hundred twenty feet. In several areas, the structure curves back on itself, becoming nearly horizontal. The metal surface of this project is clad in stainless steel with a custom flat seam panel for dual curvature. The near-flat surface it creates, allowing the viewer to focus on the entirety of the shape rather than being drawn to the individual lines. According to an interview with the architect, the proscenium was inspired by Gehry’s 2001 flagship store for Issey Miyake in New York City, a sculptured titanium also made with Zahner.

Related System

Column Cover

Custom column cover systems provide decorative and functional aspects to both interior and exterior architectural design. Column cover manufacturing has been a mainstay of A. Zahner Company's production for several decades, producing both custom and standard systems for designers all over the world.

Zahner also completed all 24 of the 6′ diameter column covers. These enclose the green area of the park and provide support for the overhead lighting and sound cage over the park. These column covers consist of heavy-gauge stainless steel plate panels rolled to shape and attached with interior fastening system. The columns range in height from 12’ to over 24’ .

Each of the column covers is clad in a 10ga stainless steel, a heavier gauge than the 22ga stainless steel cladding the proscenium.