Blue-grey | Zahner

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.

MOCA Cleveland

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Museum Cleveland--Ohio Fashid Moussavi Architecture, Westlake Reed Leskosky Black, Blue-grey L /by cmorris

The Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland

The new Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Cleveland comes from the architects at Farshid Moussavi Architects. The architects designed an elegant prism to house the museum’s collection in a new space that will maximize the 34,000 square foot structure. Zahner was brought on to provide complete facade services for the project, including design assist, engineering, fabrication, and installation of the building envelope & facade of glass and metal.

The design is deceptive in its complexity, appearing at first to be a hexagonal shape. When viewed from above, it becomes clear that the core of the structure is actually 92′ by 92′ cube. This addresses and resolves the common criticism that many of the newer museums with dynamic forms often face — that the space is not actually conducive for the display and viewing of art. This well-thought out museum brings the best of both worlds, with its visually striking design and ample space to display art.

The building’s hexagonal base gives the museum multiple entries, while the building’s square top lends itself to the museum’s rotating collection, allowing the space to be easily divided into flexible temporary spaces. Because the museum has no permanent collection of its own, it was important that the building’s interior lend itself to many different kinds of work.

Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Cleveland.

Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland.

Zahner is closely involved with the construction of this shape and surface. Zahner produced a mock-up for the project in June of 2011 pictured below, and will work with the architects to translate the design of this intelligently conceived museum into an efficient and tightly engineered series of components.

TIMELAPSE OF THE MOCKUP FOR MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART CLEVELAND

FILM © A. ZAHNER COMPANY.

Design Assist for MOCA Cleveland

Zahner provided Design Assist services for the architect. This team of engineers developed the design into a fully defined facade system. The contract entails a design charette, engineering, and a manufactured mockup to test performance details.

This design assist contract enables designers to meet their aesthetic and performance goals, while also working within a prescribed budget. It also puts the owner in control of costs because the entire facade has been defined digitally.

To meet the budget and design constraints required for the project, the team developed a mega-panel; pre-fabricated panels comprised of the finished interior skin, insulation, structure, sheathing, and waterproofing in a single unit.

The Cleveland MOCA’s smart angular design requires a highly engineered and crafted surface. In many ways, the building is as complex to build as some of our more curvilinear projects. The tight corners and edges have acute tolerances, leaving little wiggle room.

During May and June 2011, DAG and Operations teams worked with the architects to produce a mockup. This mockup served as a reference point for the design decisions as the project rolled out into production.

Photograph of the MOCA Cleveland nearing completion.

The mockup was built to simulate a corner-section at the top of the building. The mock-up for MOCA Cleveland was completed in June of 2011, and a few images of the architects’ visit are featured below.

Photograph of the MOCA Cleveland Mockup at Zahner.

Farshid Moussavi speaks with Zahner engineers about the MOCA Cleveland Mockup.

MOCA Cleveland Mockup during the FMA Visit.

Detail of the reflected sky in the MOCA Cleveland Mockup.

The material that was selected for this is a seductive dark mirror-polish stainless. Zahner has used a similar finish on a few projects, including a Libeskind-designed residence in the northeast United States. This metal surface is essentially a dark-tinted mirror, reflecting a darker image of its surroundings with perfect mirror accuracy, and imbuing the imagery of the sky and general surroundings on its dark polished surface. The image immediately above shows a detail of the reflected surface of both the inset glazing and the slightly darker reflective metal surface. The Zahner product that enables the flush glass and metal surfaces is called the Inverted Seam™ Glass System.

The building’s upward design was calculated to minimize distraction from reflected surfaces. The design was also tested using computer-modeled simulations of the sun as it arcs across the sky to prevent unwarranted glare and hot-spots.

This is the first museum by FMA, and its first major structure in the United States. Production is slated to begin late 2011, where the operations team and union artisans will begin the process of in-house fabrication and assembly. The custom-designed parts that result from this process are numbered, categorized, and shipped for rapid installation during the final phase of construction on-site. The $26.3-million project is part of a major redevelopment of Cleveland’s uptown area by Case Western Reserve University and MRN, Ltd. as well as others to revitalize the area. The project is managed by Donley’s in Cleveland, and is scheduled to break ground in late 2011.

McCoy Federal Building

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Government, LEED, Passive Security Jackson--Mississippi CDFL Architects, Hargreaves Associates, Schwartz/Silver Blue, Blue-grey, Grey, White M 2013 /by cmorris

Dr. A.H. McCoy Federal Building Modernization

This upgrade to the McCoy Federal Building includes infrastructure additions to the main building and an ancillary building which serves as a security entrance to the main structure. Designed by Schwartz/Silver architects, Zahner provided the glass facade design along with its structural support system.

In 2010, the General Services Administration (GSA) commissioned Schwartz/Silver to upgrade the McCoy Federal Building Courthouse and GSA Facilities in Jackson, Mississippi. Zahner was brought on to construct the building envelope for the structure, under design assist contract. Zahner provided engineering, fabrication, and installation of the curving glass facade in addition to the various architectural metal surfaces.

McCoy Federal Building in Jackson, Mississippi.

Glass and steel extrusions, each 10 to 25 feet long, thread into ZEPPS Sections to hold 1,078 lites of glass for the design by Schwartz/Silver for the Jackson, Mississippi Federal Courthouse and GSA Building. Locked into place by over 2,000 quills of varying heights, almost every single lite of glass is unique; the lites vary in width and height as specified by Zahner engineering and programming specialists.

New building codes designed to protect sensitive buildings and airports require security check-ins to be performed in a separate building. The addition to the McCoy Federal Building will also improve various functionalities and accessibility, as well as marketability for the value of the property and those around it, a benefit of its use as an example of passive security. It also is suggested that the building will help continue to improve the community interest in the downtown neighborhoods by freshening the street-level image of the Federal courthouse and the downtown area.

The project was completed in 2013, and is LEED Registered and slated to receive LEED Silver certification from the United States Green Building Council.

Panoramic view of the GSA Building in Jackson, Mississippi.

Night view of the glass lites on edge at the McCoy Federal Building.

McCoy GSA Federal Building at dusk in Jackson, Mississippi.

South view of the McCoy Federal Courthouse GSA in Jackson, Mississippi.

ZEPPS understructure visible as Zahner field operators prepare to install the lites of glass.

Zahner Field Operators install clips on the ZEPPS structure.

Detail of the McCoy Federal Building at the Zahner Headquarters.

Mockup for Schwartz/Silver architects at the Zahner Headquarters.

Zahner CAD rendering of the McCoy Federal Building.

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.

Related System

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.

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.

Hunter Museum

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture, Interior Architecture Museum Chattanooga--Tennessee Derthick-- Henley & Wilkerson, Hefferlin + Kronenberg Architects, Musalli-- Shakir-- and Mandilli, Randall Stout Architects Blue-grey, Grey, Silver L 2005 /by cmorris

THE Hunter Museum of American Art

Designed by architect Randall Stout Architects, the Hunter Museum of American Art is Zahner’s first project with the renowned firm. Mr. Stout grew up in Tennessee, so to be chosen to design Chattanooga’s new wing of the Hunter Museum was particularly meaningful for both the community as well as the architect.

The Museum sits on an 80′ tall bluff above the Tennessee River where the building’s dynamic lines and twisting curves provide a contrast to the original museum’s classic style, adjacent to Randall Stout’s contemporary design. In 2002 the Hunter Museum of American Art partnered with the City of Chattanooga, the Tennessee Aquarium and the Creative Discovery Museum to finish the 21st Century Waterfront Plan.

Zahner produced the geometric zinc metal surface as well as the curvilinear Angel Hair stainless steel roof forms, interior stainless steel stairway, and various metal details throughout the building.

Related Project

Taubman Museum

Designed by Randall Stout Architects, the building includes a range of metal components manufactured and installed by Zahner engineers and artisans. Zahner was responsible for engineering, fabrication, and installation of the exterior secondary structure and facade. Zahner also provided interior metal surfaces for the project.

View of the Hunter Museum of American Art at sunrise.

Detail of the New Hunter Museum entrance.

Visitors on the outdoor deck of the Hunter Museum.

Selecting the Surface

The architect’s specifications originally called for a limestone exterior in additional to the stainless steel curving roof. Limestone would have cladded the vertical walls as well as many of the slanting angles throughout the building. As the project progressed, it became apparent that installing limestone was implausible in many areas due to the structural weight of the material.

At this point, Zahner was already contracted to produce the stainless steel roof. The architect asked Zahner to come up with some textured surfaces to match the limestone aesthetic.

Zahner had already been developing a wide range of custom patinas on many alloys of metal. The design team worked through several options, and decided to replace the limestone with a light gauge Hunter Zinc panels system. The preweathered zinc surface has a tonality which closely resembles the limestone surroundings. This material was used throughout the museum, on both the interior walls and the exterior building envelope.

Building the Hunter’s Curves

The bright curving stainless steel surfaces on the Hunter Museum use two signature Zahner systems, ZEPPS and the Inverted Seam system. These systems combine to make a roof which curves exactly as the architect’s original drawings. This curving surface is visibly seamless and completely protects the building against the elements.

The stainless steel is treated and processed with the Angel Hair mechanical finish, which reduces the glaring hotspots common on more reflective stainless steel, and enhances the sheen and glowing bounce of light that it generates.

Contractors standing below several recently installed ZEPPS® Panels during construction.

The most efficient and effective way to build these curves is with large ZEPPS assemblies which are produced in the fabrication shop and shipped to the site as preassembled massive panels, as pictured above the construction workers in the reference image, above.

Each of these ZEPPS lines up with adjacent panels, and includes flexible connections which allow for tolerance if the structural steel that it bolts onto is misaligned. Ensuring the subtle curvatures is crucial, so building in these types of safeguards is an effective way to save time and money during the installation process.

View of the exposed beams which will soon form the upward-curving awning.

View of the awning, partially clad in its finished stainless steel surface.

CAD-view of the Hunter Interior Staircase, with rendered ZEPPS® Components.

View of the Hunter Interior Staircase in CAD, with rendered skin surface.

View of the Hunter Museum interior staircase after completion.

Unique lines made by the interior stainless steel wall-panels.

Geometric zinc panels on the Hunter Museum.

Winding path to the entrance of the Hunter Museum.

Stainless steel and Zinc surfaces visible from the Tennessee River bluff.

Clyde Frazier NYC

August 15, 2016/in Interior Architecture Restaurant New York City Morphosis Black, Blue, Blue-grey, Brown, Charcoal, Gold, Green, Grey, Indigo, Light blue, Magenta, Orange, Red, Silver, Violet, White, Yellow M 2012 /by cmorris

Clyde Frazier’s Wine & Dine in New York City

Clyde Frazier’s Wine & Dine is a new construction high-end sports bar and eatery designed by Morphosis. The space features a Zahner-manufactured ceiling, made using generative design and automated fabrication.

Designed by Morphosis for NBA Champion and former New York Knicks Player Walt Clyde Frazier, this New York City restaurant expands a full city block in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. A swarm of suit jackets dominates the central corridor of Clyde Frazier’s Wine and Dine, a 10,000 square foot experience which mixes American and Asian cuisines.

Zahner provided the ceiling architectural feature. This ceiling is made up of custom cut and folded aluminum plates, 544 in total. The aluminum plates are printed from photographs of Mr. Frazier’s suit jackets. These parts are segmented into six unique shapes, where are placed at intervals of increasing distance. This interval placement creates the illusion that every part is unique.

Clyde Frazier's Wine & Dine in New York City.

The colors in the model categorize the panels according to breaks and sizes. Between the differing anchor placements, prints, panel sizes, and panel shapes, all 544 aluminum panels ended up being unique.

Even more complex were the ribs which held them in place. Because the panels were anchored at different angles, every drill hole had to be custom placed. Thus, each of the 69 ribs had 6 segments for a total of 463 segments, each with 3 unique faces.

3D model for Clyde Frazier's Wine and Dine.

“The transformative feature in the room, however, is suspended from the ceiling, where a 170-foot-long assemblage of colorful, patterned, flat and folded aluminum fins floats over the dining area, bar, and lounge. Morphosis found the stripes, plaids, and prints for this polychromatic sculptural reef in Frazier’s closets.

The architects photographed their contents and, working with Zahner’s metal fabricators, digitally printed images for a film adhesive applied to 544 aluminum panels of six shapes. The palette varies from blue to brown-gold to charcoal, with red painted undersides enhancing the gestalt. ‘It’s mesmerizing,’ says Frazier.” — Suzanne Stephens, Architectural Record.

Five threaded rods support each rib. The central columns do not hold the weight of the panels.

Aluminum fabricated-metal forms with custom printed and mounted graphics.

Installation process at Clyde Frazier's Wine and Dine

Installation of the printed aluminum fabrications.

Art Gallery of Alberta

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture, Interior Architecture Museum, Renovation Canada, Edmonton--Alberta, International Randall Stout Architects Blue-grey, Grey, Silver, White L 2010 /by cmorris

Art Gallery of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada

The Art Gallery of Alberta (AGA) is a Canadian Museum in downtown Edmonton which features a Zahner-manufactured curvilinear canopy and building envelope system. The building was designed by Randall Stout Architects with local firm HIP Architects in Edmonton.

Zahner’s scope included a massive ribbon of stainless steel which wraps around and through the building. Known as ‘The Borealis’, this curvilinear form evokes the Northern Lights, a frequent phenomenon of the Edmonton night sky. The borealis snakes through the gallery’s interior and emerges above the building to form the roof’s canopy, and then drops again to serve as a “snow cone,’ collecting snow and ice.

The sleek curving borealis is paneled in a stainless steel skin system developed by Zahner. The applied non-directional surface treatment of the metal gives the building its muted glow, reducing and nearly eliminating any harsh glare from the sun.

Outside view of the Art Gallery of Alberta Deck.

The curving borealis winds through the AGA Cafe.

The ‘borealis’ is engineered using ZEPPS technology, a system developed by Zahner to simplify the construction of complex structures and facades. For a curvilinear form that wraps around and within the building, an intelligent structural system was required to handle the curves and handle all structural loads. These fully pre-assembled megapanels were delivered to the site so that the local installers could easily install the pre-fabricated panels.

The building also features a variation on the Hunter Zinc preweathered patina on zinc. This surface is used throughout the interior and exterior on flat and geometric surfaces. It is similar in appearance to slate or limestone.

Preweathered Zinc Patina used on the interior and exterior wall faces.

Flatseam preweathered zinc panels on the Art Gallery of Alberta

Making the Art Gallery of Alberta

Zahner is one of the few organizations in the world that has a dedicated team for handling design-engineering processes. Design Assist divided the project and translated the architects’ intent into engineered subsections and parts which the draftsmen and project engineers can then rapidly push to the fabrication facility.

Design Assist produced several scale mockups of both the flat-lock zinc siding as well as the curvilinear Angel Hair stainless steel surface. These mockups give a sense of the upcoming quality, as well as aid in identifying potential problems and develop essential solutions.

Zahner design-engineered, fabricated, delivered the components of the Art Gallery of Alberta for intelligent installation by the Canadian installers. This process was made possible by intensive design consulting sessions early in the planning process, facilitated by Zahner Design Assist.

Design Assist | BIM to Build

As the construction world continues to move towards digital and cloud computing, Zahner fully integrates into Building Information Modeling (BIM) frameworks, so that all participants are aware every stage of construction.

The structure for the Art Gallery of Alberta was divided into several complex components, and to keep the entire project organized required a strong BIM foundation. Drawings from the architect were digitally defined and refined into a working model which served to involve every aspect of its construction.

This makes complex components, such as the architectural metal wing flying through the window, possible (see below). Coordinating multiple trades is one of the big strengths of BIM. It also plays a large role in condensing the construction down to its essentials.