Brown | Zahner

Wichita Riverfront

Keeper of the Plains Pedestrian Bridge in Wichita Kansas

For the city’s riverfront revitalization, Zahner worked under HNTB to provide the pedestrian bridge in Wichita, Kansas. Zahner’s scope included primarily the metal panel systems used at the base of the bridge, for which the team provided both fabrication and installation.

The pedestrian bridge is divided into two spans, which each meet at the rivers’ confluence. Zahner provided the metal panel system using raw copper, which means that a dark patina will quickly form on the surface. Over the years, this patina will weather and eventually take on an overall green appearance.

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Douglas Avenue Bridge

Designed in collaboration with Mark Spitzer Designs, the artworks are each made up of a number of stainless steel tower forms with lighting systems. The forms were inspired by Wichita’s aeronautical heritage and the Jayhawk sail boat, an America’s Cup competitor that is permanently installed adjacent to the bridge at the city’s historic boathouse. The towers allude to the ship’s bow and billowing sail, creating a ceremonial space for pedestrians crossing the bridge, and a beautiful site for the city’s river festival.

Keeper of the Plains Bridge in Wichita, Kansas.

Irving Courtyard

January 5, 2017/in Exterior Architecture, Landscape Architecture Education, Passive Security Kansas City Gastinger Walker Harden Brown, Orange L 2006 /by cmorris

Irving Courtyard Screenwall at Kansas City Art Institute

The Irving Courtyard Screenwall is a large gateway, entry and artwork designed by Gastinger Walker and made by Zahner for the Kansas City Art Institute, completed in 2006. The architecture firm worked with Zahner engineers and fabricators to design, build, and install the sculptural screen which protects the school’s northwest entrance.

The design uses a custom die and unique pattern. Zahner software translated the architect’s pattern into a machine language to custom perforate the panels. The material is a preweathered corten or weathering steel surface.

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Irving Courtyard

Exterior view of the perforated metal gateway entry for Kansas City Art Institute.

Custom obround die-shapes were used to create the oval perforation patterns in the weathering steel.

The large gate provides a sense of privacy while allowing for open events at the school.

The perforated metal gate motif continues onto the brick wall as an wall-mounted metal artwork.

New Castle County Library

January 4, 2017/in Exterior Architecture Library New Castle--Delaware Studio Hillier Brown, Green M 2001 /by cmorris

Brandywine Hundred Library in New Castle County

The Brandywine Hundred Library in New Castle is designed by Studio Hillier and features a Zahner manufactured colonnade with a custom copper patina. The building’s forms recall a historic aesthetic, while its large windows emphasize its natural setting.

Strongly rooted in the landscape and history of the Brandywine Valley, the new 40,000 gross square foot library serves as a 21st century meeting house, expressing and enhancing modern interconnectivity.

The project includes a custom patinated copper canopy which was fabricated by Zahner for the building’s entry soffit. 290 sheets of copper were processed to develop a unique and rustic patina across its surface. This is an early architectural example of custom preweathered patina on copper.

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New Castle County Library

Detail of Brandywine Hundred Library in New Castle County

At the end of the colonnade, an outdoor amphitheater creates the library’s storytelling center. The building is composed of two parts—the smaller encompassing the community center, the larger housing the library’s 100,000 volumes, including a reading area with fireplace. The building is fully wired for computers, accommodates 350, and features a 50-seat café and 200-car secure parking lot.

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Irving Convention Center

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.

Prepatinated copper canopy caps the colonnade for Brandywine Hundred Library

Prepatinated copper skins for Brandywine Hundred Library in the Zahner shop

Washington Elementary

January 4, 2017/in Exterior Architecture Education, Passive Security Sacramento--California HMC Architects Brown, Silver M, S 2016 /by cmorris

Washington Elementary School in Sacramento

Washington Elementary School in Sacramento features a number of unique metal elements manufactured by Zahner using ImageWall for custom perforated metal. Working for Landmark Construction with the designers at HMC Architects, Zahner provided the screens with custom perforated imagery on stainless steel and pre-weathered steel. These screen elements were used to provide passive security and signage while expressing the school’s creativity, science, and technology — marking a new shift towards practicing the STEAM curriculum (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics).

To establish this new shift in education, Sacramento City Unified School District partnered with city leaders and Principal Dr. Gema Godina-Martinez to envision the transformative shift and redesign of Washington Elementary School. The school pursued a STEAM academic program, becoming a magnet for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math education.

HMC Architects was challenged to redesign classrooms and collaborative learning areas not only to support student-centered learning, but to also influence the culture of the school’s educational experience. The project had a tight schedule. This transformation needed to be completed in less than a year to meet the Fall 2016 grand re-opening.

North entrance with perforated images of

North entrance for Washington Elementary School in Sacramento.

When HMC Architects developed the gate design for Washington Elementary, one of the considerations dictating the design decisions was how to provide security for the elementary school students. The project team employed passive security design measures by developing an open-air security gate which would ensure student’s safety while also promoting a playful STEAM atmosphere.

The architects came up with a creative security solution: the picture perforation pattern is more open at children’s height, while densely perforated at adult heights of 4′ to 6′ — ensuring that young students have greater visibility while adults will have greater difficulty seeing into the open air school commons.

Passive Security in Architecture

If you're designing a building for security, it's important to think about how your design's defenses can be met sustainably — and to also consider how these measures can be achieved without antagonizing its inhabitants.

North screenwall at Washington Elementary.

North screenwall with the Washington Elementary in Sacramento.

DETAIL OF THE LOGO SCREENWALL FOR THE WASHINGTON ELEMENTARY IN SACRAMENTO.

PHOTO © A. ZAHNER COMPANY.

The contractor attached Zahner perforated panels to a galvanized steel structure.

South screenwall at Washington Elementary.

Detail of perforated stainless with Angel Hair finish at Washington Elementary.

Detail of the North entrance gate for Washington Elementary.

North entrance with gear motif on the school's entrance.

NORTH SCREENWALL WITH LOGO FOR THE WASHINGTON ELEMENTARY IN SACRAMENTO.

PHOTO © A. ZAHNER COMPANY.

Detail of perforated stainless steel at Washington Elementary.

Original signage for the Washington School House.

Perforated stainless steel doors at Washington Elementary.

Detail of the perforated stainless steel door.

Livermore Outlets

January 4, 2017/in Art & Sculpture, Exterior Architecture Retail & Commerce San Francisco Bay FCGA Architecture Brown, Gold S 2015 /by cmorris

ImageWall system, for San Francisco Premium Outlets®

In 2015, Zahner provided the San Francisco Premium Outlets with a perforated metal artwall, installed in an outdoor area of the public mall development. Gates + Associates provided the landscape design for the entire development’s expansion, adding 185,000 SF to the project. This addition makes the project the largest outlet mall in the state of California.

Gates + Associates worked with Zahner’s ImageWall team to develop the artwall, which was shipped and installed by the architect’s contractor. The design is rolling landscape which depicts the surrounding area’s vineyards. Manufactured in Dirty Penny copper, the patina will continue to weather and grow in its depth over time. Since the copper patina is exposed to the outdoors, the oxidization will eventually turn dark brown, and then after a few decades, will become green.

The San Francisco Premium Outlets is Located in Livermore, California, the campus is part of the greater San Francisco region, and is located amongst some of California’s oldest vineyards. The development is state’s largest outdoor outlet shopping mall, and includes high end brand stores atypical of outlet malls, including Prada, Gucci, and Coach. The addition brought a number of new arrivals, including Versace, Jimmy Choo, Tory Burch, Rag & Bone, and Dsquared.

PHOTO © A. ZAHNER COMPANY.

Afternoon light cuts across the copper surface of the Livermore artwork.

Hyatt Regency Houston

January 4, 2017/in Art & Sculpture Hospitality, Public Art, Sculpture, Urban Design Houston--Texas Gensler Brown M 2015 /by cmorris

Hyatt Regency Hotel in Houston, Texas

The Hyatt Regency Houston is a new hotel development designed by Gensler which includes several features made using Zahner engineering and fabrication. Among the features provided by Zahner: a massive art wall at the building’s porte-cochère, steel signage at its entrance, and a series of interior lobby partition walls screen dividers manufactured in Solanum Steel.

These architectural details are part of the new 260,000-square-foot, 14-story Hyatt Regency Hotel. Located next to the Houston Galleria, the new construction builds on an existing two-story retail building which was partially demolished and integrated into the new design.

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Hyatt Regency Houston

Art wall, fabricated in Solanum Steel and aluminum, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Houston.

The Hyatt River Art Wall

The artist team responsible for developing the art wall Lester Yuen, Michael Gajevsky and Nancy Nodler. Yuen worked closely with L. William Zahner to develop the artwork, using polished aluminum plate to show a topographical section of the Buffalo Bayou river in Houston, Texas.

The artwork is located under the covered driveway entrance for the hotel. The base layers of the artwork are made using plate aluminum and clad in a final layer of weathering steel with a preweathered finish. Each plate was cut using automated CNC machinery at Zahner. These have a polished edge and are secured below the final layer of Solanum Steel.

Gensler partnered with Zahner’s Design Assist team at the project’s inception to ensure that the project could be developed within the client’s budget. In addition to reducing the overall cost, this process also improved the end quality of the details.

Art wall sections are manufactured in the Zahner shop facility.

Art wall at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Houston.

Detail of the steel and aluminum connection.

Interior steel partition walls made in preweathered steel.

Zahner-manufactured interior screen wall dividers at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Houston.

Details of the joints for the art wall at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Houston.

Detail of the Hyatt River Regency art wall joints.

Light reflects against the aluminum artwork.

Gulch Crossing

January 4, 2017/in Exterior Architecture, Interior Architecture Highrise, LEED, Retail & Commerce Nashville--Tennessee Earl Swensson Associates Brown, Violet S 2015 /by cmorris

Gulch Crossing Development in Nashville, Tennessee

In a design by Earl Swensson Associates (ESa), the Gulch Crossing development features Zahner patinated weathering steel in both its interior and exterior spaces. The dark patina on the weathering steel surface frames the building’s wood canopy, and provides a backdrop for the water feature at its entrance.

To produce the interior and exterior steel, the A588 alloy weathering steel was processed by Zahner with a custom patina process. This Solanum Steel process yielded 3000 ft² of 3mm weathering steel with the Solanum Steel patina, which was supplied to John W McDougall, Metal Fabricators. The Nashville-based company completed the metalwork and installation.

The site sits between a popular restaurant, retail, and entertainment district and a rail yard that was once the place where visitors first arrived to the city, standing where the rail lines shift direction to reconcile with the city grid. The rail line expression is reinforced with a linear infinity edge fountain running the length of the 100’ weathered steel and wood “boxcar” frame that extends beyond the building to create a sheltered outdoor plaza.

Interior weathering steel wall panels for the service desk at Gulch Crossing.

Weathering steel canopy for Gulch Crossing in Nashville.

Weathering steel and wood canopy crosses into the interior space.

Gulch Crossing provides a high walkability score, an uncommon feature for similar mid-rise buildings.

Weathering steel water feature backdrop for the Gulch Crossing entrance.

Weathering steel at sunset for the Gulch Crossing canopy.

Omni Nashville

January 4, 2017/in Exterior Architecture Hospitality Nashville--Tennessee HKS Brown S 2013 /by cmorris

Omni Nashville Hotel in Downtown Nashville, Tennessee

Omni Nashville Hotel is an 800-room hotel Designed by HKS Hill Glazier Studio. The building features Zahner pre-treated weathering steel, fabricated into custom column covers for the building’s structural supports.

The hotel serves the downtown Nashville area and it adjoining neighbor, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Zahner provided flat sheet Solanum Steel, a prepatinated weathering steel product. Made using weathering steel, Solanum is suited for interior and exterior environments. An internal pedestrian pathway provides a seamless connection from the hotel to the museum expansion; situated along the pathway are Nashville-inspired restaurants and retail spaces.

The hotel and expanded museum serve as a beacon for the Music City and Convention Center District, bringing additional entertainment space, restaurants and retail venues to downtown Nashville. Focusing on sustainability, the hotel and expansion project is expected to achieve LEED-Silver certification.

Related Surface

Omni Nashville

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.

Children’s Hospital VCU

January 4, 2017/in Exterior Architecture Healthcare, LEED, Parking Structure Richmond--Virginia HKS, HKS Line Brown, Orange, Red L 2015 /by cmorris

Parking Structure for Children’s Hospital of Richmond Pavilion

The Children’s Hospital of Richmond Pavilion (CHoRP) is an HKS-designed building featuring Zahner perforated and patinated zinc throughout its exterior parking facade. The new building serves as a 15-story ambulatory pavilion built on East Broad Street between Tenth and Eleventh Street. The building consolidates existing pediatric clinics into a single urban location in downtown Richmond, Virginia.

Zahner worked with the HKS Line team to provide a custom-perforated skin on three types of patinated zinc. The second, third, and fourth floors of this new building feature a perforated facade which provides airflow into the parking contained within.

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.

Custom patinated zinc and aluminum panels adorn the parking facade for Children's Hospital Richmond Pavilion.

Night photo of the Children's Hospital of Richmond Pavilion.

Dusk at the Children's Hospital of Richmond Pavilion.

Detail of the perforated metal facade for Children's Hospital.

Diagram of the Children's Hospital Richmond.

John Olver Transit Center

January 4, 2017/in Exterior Architecture LEED, Workplace Greenfield--Massachusetts Charles Rose Architects Brown M /by cmorris

John W. Olver Transit Center

The new transit center was designed by Charles Rose Architects and features Zahner’s design-engineering and fabrication of the natural weathering copper facade. The facade includes intricately cut perforations integrated as signage, which continues around the building’s surface as light filtering copper-screen panels designed to weather and age naturally.

The train can be seen above entering the south side of the Franklin Regional Transit Authority, where it currently runs once per day in each direction along the Knowledge Corridor, from Washington D.C. to the border of Canada. The rail improvements allow for trains to travel at speeds of 80MPH.

The building has won six awards: American Architecture Award; The Chicago Athenaeum AIA New England Design Award; North American Copper in Architecture Awards; Society of American Registered Architects / NY Design Excellence Award; The Boston Society of Architects Design Honor Award; and the ACEC 2013 Gold Award.