Exterior Architecture

Lumenhaus

Herzog & de Meuron have developed a number of projects with Zahner including three major works. Based in Switzerland, Herzog & de Meuron is a partnership led by Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron with Senior Partners Christine Binswanger, Ascan Mergenthaler and Stefan Marbach.

Architects come to Zahner for the company’s commitment to developing the designer’s aesthetic to completion. Zahner worked with Herzog & de Meuron to develop their design into custom architectural systems, featured below.

Lumenhaus Solar Pre-fab Housing Unit from Virginia Tech

Lumenhaus is an portable housing concept designed and built at Virginia Tech School of Architecture + Design as part of its ongoing architectural research program. Inspired by the Farnsworth House by Mies Van Der Rohe, the north and south walls are all glass, maximizing the owner’s exposure to bright, natural daylight. The fully automated Eclipsis System, comprising independent sliding layers, permits a revolutionary design in a solar-powered house, while filtering light in beautiful, flowing patterns throughout the day.

Hacking a Robot to make Louvered Facades

In the Summer of 2015, Zahner’s ShopFloor team was tasked with developing several methods for louvered perforations to create picotage-effects for architectural metal.

Dusk photograph of Lumenhaus, Virginia Tech.

Exterior detail of the Lumenhaus facade.

Creating the Lumenhaus Facade

Zahner worked with Virignia Tech to develop the facade system, providing the engineering and fabrication for the project as part of the patented ZIRA™ System for perforating facades with custom patterns and imagery. Instead of adjusting the size of the perforation to create the metal image pattern, Lumenhaus was designed to create unique imagery through changing the angle of the protruding tab. By louvering the perforation, the visual contrast is increased between the negative dark areas and the light-capturing tabbed areas.

This is the third solar house designed and built at Virginia Tech, but it is the first to win international recognition and press. In 2010, the project won the International Solar Decathlon Competition in Madrid, Spain. In January, 2012, it was announced that the Lumenhaus has won a 2012 AIA Honor Award for Architecture. This is the first time this award has been given to a university team.

Photograph of the Lumenhaus facade for Virginia Tech.

Photograph of the Lumenhaus facade at Dusk.

Interior photograph of the Lumenhaus showing the facade and eclipsis system video.

Rooted in the design principles of the Bauhaus, the project imbues 21st century technologies to create a dynamic living situation. The entire mechanics of the house are controllable via mobile phone, so the hand-held phone becomes a remote control for the many features of the house. This Eclipsis System includes a automatic sliding screen-wall engineered and manufactured by Zahner.

Where most energy-conscious houses are closed with strategic openings to resist heat transfer, Lumenhaus has open, flowing spaces linking occupants to each other within the house and to nature outside.

The design served as both aesthetic and function, a compelling surface that filters the harsh rays of the setting sun while letting in ambient light throughout the day.

Detail of the facade pattern for the Lumenhaus project.

Detail of the imaginative facade pattern for the Lumenhaus project.

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.

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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.

Leong Leong Facade

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Parking Structure Miami--Florida Leong Leong, TimHaahs Gold L 2015 /by cmorris

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.

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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.

Leong Leong facade for the Miami City View Garage.

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.

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.