Grey | Zahner

Columbia University

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Education, Highrise, LEED New York City Moneo Brock Studio Grey L /by cmorris

Columbia University Northwest Corner Building

Completed in 2010, the Northwest Corner Building was developed by Columbia University for the beginning of their campus expansion on the upper-west side of Manhattan, New York. The design by architect Rafael Moneo features an extruded aluminum facade, a system that was designed-engineered and fabricated by Zahner for the cladding of the structure.

The building’s engineering is a bold feat of structure and construction. Its design called for a 125′ span across the existing gymnasium on ground level. Because Columbia opted to build around an existing gymnasium, the building design was modeled after a high-rise bridge. The construction process took place during the school’s basketball season, and due to this, many aspects of the construction process required surgical precision.

The angularity of the facade is designed to express both the building’s randomized structural bracing, as well as the tailored building systems. The architects and engineers faced many unique layout challenges and the building required long-term flexibility. The extruded aluminum facade is an engineering-intensive surface designed and fabricated to evoke the same unified precision as the building itself.

Detail of the Columbia University Northwest Corner Building.

Columbia University Northwest Corner Building.

Detail of the aluminum facade system used on Columbia University Northwest Corner Building.

Creating the Energy-Efficient Aluminum Facade System

The new university building is certified LEED Gold. Integrating into the the building’s LEED aspirations was a simple process for A. Zahner Company because the operations and manufacturing of the plant is already well-suited for LEED applications.

Zahner delivered the aluminum system for this project under a design assist mode of production. Using this method enabled Zahner’s engineering and design team to reduce the construction waste for the facade down to a fraction of the building’s footprint.

Columbia University's first installed aluminum panels.

Zahner-produced mockup for wind-testing the Columbia facade system.

Detail of the aluminum extrusion system facade used on Columbia University.

Columbia University Northwest Corner Building: in the Press

“The building is a gleaming physical expression of the university’s desire to bridge the divide between the insular world of the campus and the community beyond its walls.”

—Nicolai Ouroussoff, New York Times

The New Columbia University Sciences building has attracted many news outlets and media interest due to its unique facade and intelligent engineering by the architectural team lead by Rafael Moneo. Learn more about the project via both internal and external links below.

Metals in Construction Columbia University (PDF) by Adam Friedberg, p22-31 (Columbia)
New York Times A Building Forms a Bridge by Nicolai Ouroussoff February 2011

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.

Chihuly Bridge of Glass

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture, Landscape Architecture Bridge, Exhibit, Museum, Pedestrian Bridge Tacoma--Washington Andersson-Wise Architects Dale Chihuly Blue, Grey M 2002 /by cmorris

Chihuly Bridge at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington

The Chihuly Bridge is a destination feature for Tacoma, Washington. Designed by Andersson-Wise Architects as an addition to the Tacoma Museum of Glass, the project provides a pedestrian bridge to downtown Tacoma. Made possible by a donation from Jim and Carolyn Milgard, the bridge crosses over major rail lines and links the Museum of Glass to Union Station and the State History Museum.

Zahner served as both the sole contractor and manufacturer in the production of the Chihuly Bridge of Glass. This construction included all structural steel, glazing and cladding elements as well as fiber optics and vacuum HVAC system within the cases.

Related Project

Museum of Glass

Zahner produced the metalwork for the glass bridge as well as the massive cone which can be identified throughout the downtown area. The cone was manufactured in stainless steel diamond panel system which was attached to a ZEPPS structural framework, each made by Zahner.

The system that Zahner used for the glass encasement of the artworks is the Drop Lock glass installation system, which allows for easy installation and sustainable maintenance. The system builds on Zahner’s patented Inverted Seam system for creating co-planar metal facades and roofs. The assembled panels provide rapid installation, require no silicone, and result in a visually clean edge with a dry look.

Visitors who walk across the bridge get a closer look at the work of artist Dale Chihuly. The bridge is divided into three sections:

— Seaform Pavilion: a glass ceiling and canopy system showcasing 2,364 works of Chihuly glass from his Seaform and Persian series.
— Crystal Towers: a permanent art installation by Chihuly, rising 40 feet above the bridge deck and serve as beacons of light.
— Venetian Wall: an eighty-foot long installation displaying 109 sculptures from three of Chihuly’s series: Venetians, Ikebana, and Putti.

Venetian Wall for the Chihuly Bridge of Glass, with Museum of Glass in the background

Pedestrians cross the Chihuly Bridge of Glass

Venetian Wall at the Chihuly Bridge of Glass

Seaform Pavilion at the Chihuly Bridge of Glass

Chihuly Bridge Seaform Pavilion, designed by Andersson Wise

Zahner field construction crew delivers the Seaform Pavilion for the Chihuly Bridge of Glass

Zahner field construction crew installs the Seaform Pavilion for the Chihuly Bridge of Glass

Plaque for the Venetian Wall at the Chihuly Bridge of Glass

Chihuly Bridge designed by Andersson Wise.

Press

US Glass Magazine – Chihuly Connections: New Bridge Creates A Link to Museum of Glass.
ArchNewsNow – Chihuly Bridge of Glass By Arthur W. Andersson, AIA/Andersson-Wise Architects

BOK Center

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Arena & Stadium, Performance Center Tulsa--Oklahoma Pelli Clarke Pelli Grey, Silver XL 2008 /by cmorris

Bank of Oklahoma Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma

BOK Center (Bank of Oklahoma) in Tulsa, Oklahoma is a nearly 20,000 seat multi-purpose arena for sports, concerts, and massive events. The project involved Zahner’s production and installation of several thousand Angel Hair stainless steel panels, each installed on a ZEPPS framework, the building block for complex architectural curves and highly efficient and accurate installations in architecture. The project called for 350,000 square feet of exterior metal panels.

Designed by César Pelli of Pelli Clarke Pelli, the project was managed by Flintco and Manhattan Construction, who called the BOK Center “one of the best architectural designs in their 100-year history of building projects.”

The city officials in Tulsa hired the architects to develop an arena that would be an architectural icon. Pelli Clarke Pelli used architectural themes of the city, developing a swirling aesthetic for the exterior and interior aspects of the building.

Stainless steel facade detail of BOK Center in Oklahoma.

Interior metalwork for BOK Center in Oklahoma.

Photograph of BOK Center during construction.

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.