Exterior Architecture

Leong Leong Facade

City View Garage, Miami Design District

Part of a sweeping development of the Buena Vista neighborhood in Miami envisioned by Craig Robins of Dacra, the Western facade for the City View Garage was designed by Leong Leong for Miami Design District, conceived by office director Christopher Leong.

The Miami City View Garage is a parking structure which brought together three unique facades all under one roof. Working with Brad Giresi and Vernon Jones of Tim Haas Architects + Engineers, the three facade teams are: Leong Leong (featured here), artist John Baldessari, and IwamotoScott Architects.

The teams met with Zahner and developed architectural models and mockups before moving into production. Each facade had its own design challenges, which is where Zahner’s engineering and fabrication team played a technical role.

Leong Leong facade for the Miami City View Garage.

“

A surface that simultaneously radiates and dissolves.

Chris LeongFounding Partner at Leong Leong

From inside the garage, the wave-like shapes of the openings create a patterned view of the city. The openings in the facade maintain natural light and ventilation in the parking structure. The pattern of openings transforms this functional requirement into an iconic urban object.

City View Garage in Miami’s Design District Features 3 Iconic Facades by Zahner

Zahner was brought on board by the lead architect, Tim Haas, to assist in the design engineering, fabrication, and installation of all three distinct facades on the City View Garage. We worked closely with the featured designers - Leong Leong, IwamotoScott Architecture, and renowned artist John Baldessari - to capture the essence of each unique design in a way that was both functional and impactful.

The prominent location of the City View Garage on the periphery of the Design District neighborhood and its adjacency to the I-195 freeway marks the building as a prominent landmark. From the freeway, the western façade appears as a shimmering mirage. At street level, folded fins generate textures that echo the forms of surrounding palms.

Leong Leong facade for the Miami City View Garage.

Photo © A. Zahner Co.

Developing the Design with architects at Leong Leong

Zahner worked with Leong Leong from the early stages of the project, making visits to their New York City office, as well as providing a Design Assist phase to properly detail the facade system. The process yielded multiple mockups, including a full-scale elevated mockup at the Kansas City facility.

Related System

Leong Leong Facade

The surface is composed of curvilinear shapes, punched and bent out of gold-colored, titanium-coated stainless steel. From a distance, they produce a texture that mimics the shimmering patterns of light on the surface of water. The variegated pattern absorbs the qualities of the environment and disrupts the legibility of the form.

From left: Lisa Iwamoto, Chris Leong, Brad Giresi, Bill Zahner, look at material samples in the Zahner library.

First mockup for the Leong Leong facade at Miami City View Garage.

Photo © A. Zahner Co.

The design team views the mockup for Miami City View Garage for the first time.

Photo © A. Zahner Co.

Photo of installers hanging wrapped panels for the Leong Leong facade

Leong Leong facade installed for the Miami City View Garage.

Photo © A. Zahner Co.

Leong Leong facade for the Miami City View Garage.

Photo © A. Zahner Co.

Leong Leong facade for the Miami City View Garage.

Photo © A. Zahner Co.

Lake Whitney

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Industrial South Central Connecticut Steven Holl Architects L 2005 /by cmorris

Whitney Water Purification Facility and Park

Designed by Steven Holl Architects, this project features a custom facade and roof system developed by Zahner. The building is a long key-hole or water droplet shaped structure which measure 360 feet in length. The project pumps 15 million gallons a day for the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority.

Located in South Central Connecticut, the project features the largest green roof in Connecticut, zero off-site storm water discharge, and geothermal heating and cooling. It also includes expanded wetlands for biodiversity, and was chosen as one of the top ten green projects in 2007 by the American Institute of Architects’ Committee on the Environment (AIA/COTE).

The building is clad in 24 Ga. Angel Hair stainless steel, 316 alloy. The building envelop system uses a custom S-pocket flat-seam roof and siding paneling.

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Daeyang Gallery

The firm has developed a growing number of works with Zahner, starting with the the Studio Libeskind-designed Contemporary Jewish Museum in which WRNS served as Architect of Record. Since then, Zahner has worked with WRNS on a number of projects, develop their unique design concepts into custom architectural systems, featured below.

Kowloon Station

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture, Interior Architecture Airport, Transportation Asia, Hong Kong TFP Farrells Silver, White L, XL 1998 /by cmorris

Kowloon Station in Hong Kong

Kowloon Station is a rail transit station on the Tung Chung Line and the Airport Express of Hong Kong’s MTR. The station provides in-town check-in service for passengers departing from the Hong Kong International Airport, with access to shuttle, bus, train, and other forms of transit.

This station in the Kowloon development in Hong Kong was designed by Farrells (TPP Farrells). The project included a masterplan for the surrounding Union Square, one of the largest air-rights developments in the world. This development included the tallest tower in Hong Kong, the International Commerce Center.

Zahner was brought into the project to provide above-ground exterior metalwork, as well as below-grade metalwork for the station’s interior. This scope includes a Zahner-manufactured aluminum facade, with aluminum and stainless steel interior metalwork. The station was completed in 1998.

Interior metalwork at Kowloon Station, Hong Kong.

Interior painted metal systems, Kowloon Station, Hong Kong.

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Tsing Yi Station

KCPD Headquarters

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture, Interior Architecture Government, Highrise, LEED Kansas City Helix Blue-grey L 2015 /by cmorris

Kansas City Police Department HQ RENOVATION & EXPANSION

KCPD Headquarters’ renovation and expansion was led by Helix Architecture and features Zahner fabrication and design assist exploration. The existing building, which hadn’t been renovated since opening in 1938, features both a new tower expansion as well as historical restoration and renovation to the original building interior and exterior spaces.

The Kansas City Police Headquarters renovation marks a shift in how police departments can use architecture to shift perception and engagement in the community. The building update provides a modernized facility for KCPD employees, as well as a first floor community atrium for citizens to engage in the Police Department’s Headquarters.

Zahner’s scope on the project included both interior and exterior cassette panels in pre-weathered zinc. The panel layout positions the zinc skins diagonally skyward, and its unique diamond shape emphasizes the vertical nature of the space, providing the new addition with a sense of fortitude.

THE DE YOUNG MUSEUM IN SAN FRANCISCO. ZAHNER OWNED THE ENTIRE EXTERIOR COPPER SKIN AND GLAZING.

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Embossing

Zahner's unique history of metal embossing for bumped and dimpled metal surfaces has been used over the years to create unique approaches to metal panel systems. Create deep textures in metal surfaces with your designs.

Photograph of the KCPD Community room during the opening ceremony for the renovated police headquarters.

Detail of the punched and custom-embossed zinc exterior facade at KCPD Headquarters.

Interior space with custom zinc feature wall at KCPD Headquarters.

Rooftop terrace at Kansas City Police Department Headquarters.

Keeping with the KCPD’s desire to increase community interaction, extensive improvements were also made to the first floor where visitors enter the space. Here a community room serves as a space for meetings and public engagement.

The interior spaces continue the embossed zinc cladding, providing a backdrop for art by Rob Ley of Urbana, and giving cohesion between the addition and the existing historic building. The interior panels also serve the dual purpose of providing noise mitigation at the entrance of the space.

Creating a Custom-Embossed and Perforated Zinc Panel

Rather than adding patina to the sheets, Helix designers were interested exploring various possibilities with machined surfaces. The exterior panels located on the tower expansion feature a racetrack-shaped obround bump which is repeatedly embossed into the metal surface. This texturing of the metal adds rigidity to the panels to prevent wavering in the metal panels. When assembled in unison, the repetition of these shapes emulates the warp and weft of the officers’ cloth uniforms.

The unique panel system was tested in two mockups at Zahner, each of which provided valuable insight into how to provide the complex geometries of the zinc system.

Zinc panel siding mockups are displayed at Zahner for architectural analysis.

Interior zinc wall during installation at KCPD Headquarters.

Rendering of the renovation provided to the KCPD Headquarters.

Designing Custom Perforated Panels using Zinc

The existing entrance for the project is largely composed of non-absorptive materials such as glass and tile. This meant that finding a solution to mitigate noise in the community entrance was of utmost importance. The designers at Helix worked with Zahner to develop a series of micro perforations and sound-absorptive backing on the panels.

The perforations allow noise to enter, while acoustic material nestled within the panel absorbs noise. The perforated surface of the zinc further prevents echo and reverberation of sound from coming back out of the panels. Zahner provided the entire custom perforated panel as one unit, with the acoustic backing already within each panel and ready for installation.

Detail of the punched and custom-embossed zinc acoustic panels at KCPD Headquarters.

The building facade has an appearance of armored cladding.

Interior and exterior zinc metalwork at the Kansas City Police Department Headquarters.

Managing the Building’s Historic and Green Construction

In order to accommodate the police department’s need for continued use of the space, the general contractor, JE Dunn, divided the project into several phases. Special consideration was also taken towards historic pieces, such as marble in the restroom. Historically significant materials were refurbished and reused in other areas of the building.

This eco-friendly design decision is also echoed in Helix’s desire to use zinc panels. The zinc was sourced from Jarden Zinc, who also provides coin blanks to mints from around the world (including the blanks used to make the US penny). The leftover material from the coinage is melted down to produce sheets. All zinc used for the KCPD Headquarters is 100% recyclable and environmentally friendly. The project is anticipated to receive a LEED Gold certification.

Interior walls with zinc cladding, photographed with the Rob Ley interior sculpture at KCPD Headquarters.

Kauffman Stadium

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Kansas City Populous L 2009 /by cmorris

Kauffman Stadium Improvements at Royals Ballpark

The recent Kauffman Stadium renovation for the Royals Ballpark in Kansas City was lead by the architects at Populous. Zahner provided an exterior stainless steel facade as well as improvements to the interior experience. The Zahner scope also included the Royals Crown artwork which can be seen atop the ballpark’s digital scoreboard.

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.

A pattern of perforations and dimples allows glimpses of the original structure and the emblazoned the Royals’ graphic adds visual delight. Daylight and air transverse the facade, and the result is a breezy atmosphere which anticipates the excitement of the ballpark within.

Related Project

Royals Crown

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.

Kauffman stadium facade with perforated “Royals” logo emblazoned on its wall.

IMAGE © MIKE SINCLAIR

Light flows into through the perforated facade.

Detail of the facade and shadows cast through the perforated metal.

Detail of the perforated and embossed facade.

The details above show the exquisite stainless steel surface, a process Zahner developed for a soft semi-reflective surface known as Angel Hair stainless steel. The detail photos also reveal how the logo is composed of a dimpled and perforated facade. When standing a hundred feet from the facade, these dimples and perforations disappear to the naked eye, becoming the Royals graphic seen above and below.

The Technology Behind the Surface

The pattern which determines the location of perforations and dimples is made using the Zahner-patented ZIRA Process. It allowed the client to choose a picture or graphic. The designers selected the Royals logo, which was then translated into machine language, fabricated, and installed by a team of Zahner engineers and artisans working together to ensure the highest quality result.

Today designers have access to ImageWall, which provides a fast way to upload images and automatically design perforated image metal systems. Many improvements in technology have occurred since this piece was manufactured. One example is the improved parametric relationship and perforation across a panel’s seam. This innovation is called Cross-Seam Perf, and it provides a more seamless aesthetic for perforated metal.

Related System

Kauffman Stadium

Detail of the interior light filtration by the perforated metal facade.

Kauffman Center

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Performance Center Kansas City BNIM, Safdie Architects Silver L 2011 Homepage Featured /by cmorris

KAUFFMAN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is a project designed by Safdie Architects located in Kansas City. Zahner provided the stainless steel and substructure, which wraps the entirety of the facade and roof. This included the engineering, fabrication, and installation. Zahner also provided interior metalwork in key areas such as staircases and other architectural detailing on the building’s interior.

KAUFFMAN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS CLAD IN GB-60 STAINLESS STEEL.

PHOTO © DRONE & FILM STUDIOS.

Zahner worked closely with the design team to develop the surface systems. The entire roof and metal wall-surface is clad in GB-60 stainless steel. Zahner developed this product to provide a muted reflectivity and resilience to the elements.

The internationally recognized design team assembled includes Moshe Safdie & Associates, BNIM Architects, JeDunn Construction, Theatre Projects Consultants, and Nagata Acoustics. Their design incorporates the very latest in architectural innovation and technology to create virtually perfect acoustics and optimal sightlines in both performance halls.

KAUFFMAN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS CLAD IN GB-60 STAINLESS STEEL.

PHOTO © DRONE & FILM STUDIOS.

KAUFFMAN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS.

PHOTO © DRONE & FILM STUDIOS.

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Fisher Center

The performance center was completed in 2003, designed by Frank Gehry Partners. Zahner has been involved with Gehry's firm since the beginning, and has been involved in a number of featured Gehry projects over the years. The Bard College was finished a year after Weatherhead at Case Western, and a year prior to the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, Chicago. All three were built using Zahner engineering-design, fabrication, and installation.

The design provides a 285,000-square-foot hall with two performance venues: the 1,800-seat Muriel Kauffman Theatre and the 1,600-seat Helzberg Hall. The first stainless steel panels were installed at the Kauffman Center the week of August 2nd, 2010, and the project was inaugurated September 16th 2011.

KAUFFMAN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS.

PHOTO © DRONE & FILM STUDIOS.

Zahner installers set panels at Kauffman Center.

Photo © A. Zahner Company.

Installation of Kauffman Center interior metalwork by Zahner field operators.

Photo © A. Zahner Company.

Field operators install the ZEPPS™ Panels on the South roof of Kauffman Center.

Photo © A. Zahner Company.

A single ZEPPS panel for the roof system is hung at Kauffman Center.

Photo © A. Zahner Company.

Kauffman Center architectural paneling.

Photo © A. Zahner Company.

KAUFFMAN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS.

PHOTO © DRONE & FILM STUDIOS

KAUFFMAN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS.

PHOTO © DRONE & FILM STUDIOS.

Kansas City Zoo

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Zoo Kansas City BNIM Brown M 1995 /by cmorris

The Deramus Education Pavilion at the Kansas City Zoo

Designed by BNIM, the Deramus Education Pavilion was created to symbolize the Kansas City Zoo and provide a preparatory experience for every zoo visitor. Zahner provided the custom copper standing seam and bold batten roof panels. These featured built-in gutters which were formed to create a unique geometry on the surface.

The roof systems throughout the project were installed as raw sheet, and will be allowed to naturally age. Over the years, the project has developed a dark brown patina, and after a few decades, will develop a deep green-blue patina.

The copper sheets were developed as standing seam and bold batten roof panels. These were designed with custom built-in gutters formed to cap the roof’s unique geometry.

Related System

Canopy

Custom canopies fabricated with Zahner engineering benefit from high-quality craft and attention to detail. Zahner engineers work with designers and contractors to develop integrated systems which meet a range of desired aesthetics, from historic restorations and filigree to contemporary geometric forms.

Aerial imagery of the Deramus entrance pavilion at the Kansas City Zoo.

The design of the building integrates many sustainable strategies. The building plan takes advantage of the site’s solar orientation. Operable windows are a part of the building’s envelope on the south, east, and west facades, allowing for natural cross ventilation to occur when appropriate. A highly energy-efficient HVAC system was sought, and several energy efficiency measures were employed in the design to minimize the energy used throughout the building. Extensive use of natural daylighting is incorporated into the envelope of the building.

A few examples of the materials used in the building design are as follows: structure made completely of salvaged or sustainably managed wood products, a copper roof that is comprised of 80% post-consumer waste copper and ‘waste’ marble floors (that is, floors made from marble that has been rejected for other purposes).

Kansas City Star

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Industrial, LEED Kansas City Austin Group Green L 2006 /by cmorris

Kansas City Star Production Facility

The production facility for the Kansas City Star includes a locally manufactured, custom-patinated copper, created by Zahner for the building’s facade. The new production facility for the Kansas City Star was designed and developed by The Austin Company, an engineering design firm specializing in large-scale industrial facilities.

Zahner developed a preweathered copper patination system for this building. An estimated 4155 pre-patina copper panels were installed on the building’s surface to create the 80,000 SF surface area. The building’s green surface is mottled and variegated, a patina designed to age the building’s copper surface by 200 years. The natural patina will continue to grow and change in appearance as it ages. The patina provides a layer of natural protection for the copper alloy.

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Custom Patinated Copper

Zahner has developed proprietary techniques to preweather copper and copper-alloyed sheets with deep, rich patinas not unlike those that formerly took several decades to develop naturally. Some of these techniques can develop the rich green and blue tones of cupric nitrate on the copper surface. Other techniques will develop browns, yellows, and oranges in various hues.

The Kansas City Star Production Facility.

IwamotoScott

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Parking Structure Miami--Florida Iwamoto Scott, TimHaahs Blue, Blue-grey, Light blue L 2015 /by cmorris

City View Garage, Miami Design District

A geometric display of varying blue-toned aluminum skins adorns the Southeastern facade of the City View Garage in the Miami Design District. Designed by IwamotoScott Architecture, the Zahner-manufactured facade was developed in Kansas City and shipped as nesting parts to the job site in Miami, Florida. Zahner field installers hung the panels.

Sited along the Southern edge of the Miami Design District adjacent to I-195, the parking structure is part of a larger plan to bring arts, luxury, and culture into the new district. The main body of the building is a parking structure above a level of retail storefront and includes a small six story office block.

The building’s design averted the need for industrial ventilation of the parking area. IwamotoScott met this challenge with a modular decorative metal screen, whose mechanically-folded aluminum system features variously sized apertures to provide the required porosity for natural ventilation.

City View Garage with IwamotoScott facade.

IwamotoScott was commissioned alongside New York-based architects Leong Leong and Southern California-based artist John Baldessari, by Dacra and L Real Estate to create three unique facades for the City View Garage in Miami’s Design District. The IwamotoScott portion of the facade wraps around the parking structure’s Southeast corner and includes an elevator lobby, exterior stair, and the office block.

featuring Baldessari's artwork between the Leong Leong Facade and the IwamotoScott facade.

Photo of IwamotoScott Facade for the Miami Design District City View Garage

Detail of the IwamotoScott Facade for the Miami Design District City View Garage.

Photo © A. Zahner Co.

Interior detail view of the IwamotoScott Facade for the Miami Design District City View Garage

Interior and roof view of the IwamotoScott Facade for the Miami Design District City View Garage.

Photo © A. Zahner Company.

Photograph of the IwamotoScott Facade during construction, Miami Design District City View Garage.

PHOTO © A. ZAHNER COMPANY.

Developing the IwamotoScott facade for City View Garage

There are five different repeating modules, which are custom-fabricated by Zahner using 40 panel types. Zahner developed the modular design using powercopies to programmatically control the design’s various parts in both the operational engineering, plant, and hanging in the field.

The aluminum parts were painted using a gradient coloring scheme, which provides a subtle gradation of its five unique aperture sizes, suspended from fins which cantilever from the edges of the garage’s concrete slabs.

Digital model of the IwamotoScott facade, color-coded to indicate its five repeating panel types.

IMAGE © A. ZAHNER COMPANY.

Diagrams for the IwamotoScott Facade for the Miami Design District City View Garage.

IMAGE © A. ZAHNER COMPANY.

Diagram of the 40 panel types used to create the IwamotoScott Facade at Miami Design District.

Images © A. Zahner Company.

Nested parts for the IwamotoScott facade in the Zahner Kansas City facility.

Photo © A. Zahner Company.

Example photo of the crated IwamotoScott facade parts used on the City View Garage

Zahner fabricator crates the aluminum parts for the IwamotoScott Facade.

Photo © A. Zahner Company.

Detail of the IwamotoScott Facade for the Miami Design District City View Garage.

Photo of the IwamotoScott Facade for the Miami Design District City View Garage

Eastern view of the IwamotoScott Facade for the Miami Design District City View Garage.

Photo © A. Zahner Company.

Upward view of the IwamotoScott Facade for the Miami Design District City View Garage.

Irving Convention Center

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Convention Center, LEED, Parking Structure Dallas--Texas, Irving--Texas, Las Colinas--Texas Beck Group, RMJM Architecture, RMJM Hillier, Studio Hillier Brown, Gold XL 2010 /by cmorris

The Irving Convention Center in Las Colinas

Completed in June of 2010, the project is designed by RMJM + Hillier. The convention center is located in Las Colinas, a master-planned community within the city of Irving, which is itself situated halfway between sister cities Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas.

The project features a Zahner-engineered and produced copper curtain-wall. The entire surface of the project is custom perforated and bumped with a pattern unique to the building. The surface integrates the ZIRA Process for generating the embossed and punched surface.

The surface was installed as mill-finish copper, which means that the raw ‘red’ copper surface will go through a long process of patination. Within weeks of installation, the project had already begun to darken in areas, and within a year, the whole building had a deep bluish brown patina. This natural process is a result of the temperature, moisture, and pollution in the air, which causes the material to at first darken, and eventually change to greens and blues many years from now.

Achieving LEED Status

In 2013, the Irving Convention Center was awarded LEED Silver status for the built design’s sustainable development. Zahner played a role in ensuring the building’s construction would meet requirements:

From an operational standpoint, the “stacked” building gains efficiencies with its heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, translating into a more energy-efficient structure. The vertical plan also meant a smaller footprint of land was needed.
The copper exterior is more than just a design element. The no-maintenance material translates into lower costs for the center, eliminating the need for painting every few years to maintain its appearance.
Perforations in the copper skin also provide an important role for energy efficiency, providing built-in shade while using the natural currents of the wind to create a cushion of cooling air between it and the building, decreasing the need for air-conditioning while in essence, shading itself.
The trusses of the massive 4000-ton steel structure were designed so that they could be sourced domestically; much of the steel came from recycled sources nearby in North Texas and Oklahoma.

Knowing that the pattern would overlap with itself in certain areas, the architects at RMJM Hillier experimented within the bounds of possible perforations to see how two layers of the same material would interact with each other. The result is a smart pattern not unlike the results of moire patterns.

Moire patterns from overlapping perforated metal.

Quatrefoil moire pattern appears in the double-layered perforated metal.

The surfaces above show details of the pattern used and how the frequentoverlaps throughout the project will result in clever patterning. The project was completed in early 2011.

The design is also unique in that at first glance, the material seems impossible. From a medium distance, the metal surface seems to float in space, because the circular shapes are pieced together via slight ‘bridges’ or connecting sections of copper. The effect is that from a near distance, the copper circular sections of the perforation appear to float.