Asia | Zahner

Ministry of Interior

January 4, 2017/in Interior Architecture Government Asia, International, Riyadh--Saudi Arabia Musalli-- Shakir-- and Mandilli Gold M 1990 /by cmorris

The Ministry of Interior in Riyadh

The Ministry of Interior is a building designed by Archisystems Musalli, Shakir, and Mandilli. The building features an interior dome manufactured by Zahner. The Ministry of Interior is located in Riyadh, and is the responsible authority for national security, naturalization, immigration and customs in Saudi Arabia.

The dome was made using structural components manufactured in copper alloy. The project was manufactured in the Kansas City facility at Zahner where the components were crated and shipped to Riyadh for assembly. Due to the sensitive nature of the building, interior photographs are not prohibited, and the finished photographs of the work are not available.

Related Project

Jakarta Australian Embassy

The design by Denton Corker Marshall was the winning entry in limited design competition. The materials reflect not only characteristic colors of the Australian landscape but also convey something of the natural resources and mineral wealth. Each building at the Embassy is clad in a distinct metal, representing Australia’s wealth in these materials: copper, zinc, brass, steel and aluminum.

Harim Tower

January 4, 2017/in Exterior Architecture Corporate, Highrise Asia, International, Seoul--South Korea Beck Group Silver XL 2016 /by cmorris

Harim Group Headquarters in Seoul, Korea

Harim Tower in Gangnam, Seoul is the Beck Group-designed headquarters for the Harim Group company. The building features a Zahner engineered cladding system and custom bumped and perforated stainless steel throughout the interior and exterior.

The Harim Group wanted its new corporate headquarters to reflect its focus on sustainability and caring for its employees and the public. Beck provided a unique design solution which introduced 86,000 SF of mid-rise office tower on a small but high-value site. The project includes a boardroom for Harim Group, high-end restaurants, and a café in addition to a range of office spaces.

To reduce Korea’s high energy cost and to enhance the indoor air quality, Beck designed an operable window system for natural ventilation, high performance Low-E coated windows, LED light fixtures, building automation system, green roof, rainwater harvesting system and underfloor air distribution system.

Harim Group Headquarters entrance has a curving stainless steel facade system made by Zahner.

Curved metal facade of Harim Group Headquarters in Seoul.

Curved metal 'S' shape facade of the Harim facade in stainless steel.

Making the Curved Metal Facade for Harim Group Headquarters

Working under Mijie Industrial Company, Zahner developed a custom ZEPPS feature to produce an ‘S’ shaped recess in the building’s facade. ZEPPS is the Zahner system for developing unique forms and curvatures in metal. The ‘S’ shape for Harim Tower provides a unique aesthetic and design signature for the corporate headquarters. This recessed shape also creates a low pressure zone, facilitating natural ventilation on each of the floors.

The metal system Zahner provided was developed with a deep recess cavity for the lighting system. Zahner engineers introduced a modified ZEPPS hardware component which extended the panels 14″ from the building’ surface while retaining the precision curves.

Working with Well-Light, a Korean lighting design consultant, the team installed more than 10,000 LED lights of 4,000k color temperature which show through the building’s millions of perforations. “We tested several different color temperatures,” says Jay Chung, Director of Korea Operations at Beck Group. ”When we tried 3,000k color temperature lights it looked like the building was on fire. The 4,000k lights ended up giving us the perfect light. Plus they’re energy efficient.”

Detail of the curved stainless steel facade with custom perforated emboss panels.

Detail of the custom perforated emboss used to bump and perf the stainless steel facade.

Miu Miu Aoyama

January 4, 2017/in Exterior Architecture, Interior Architecture Flagship, Retail & Commerce, Storefront Asia, International, Japan, Tokyo--Japan Herzog & de Meuron Gold M 2014 /by cmorris

iu Miu Aoyama in Tokyo, Japan

Miu Miu Aoyama is a luxury retail building in Tokyo designed by Herzog & de Meuron. The building exterior features Zahner-manufactured copper bullnose details with dense custom perforations and round zig-zag seams. Zahner also provided the interior copper panels with the same bumped copper aesthetic.

The project was developed for Miuccia Prada who leads the Paris-based Miu Miu brand. Located in the Aoyama district in Tokyo, the project is the latest in a neighborhood that has become known for architectural innovation. Across the street is the Prada Tokyo Epicenter also designed by Herzog & de Meuron. The Miu Miu Aoyama represents a stark contrast to the prior work. Its subtle reflective exterior disguises its rich copper soffit and interior.

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

Related Project

de Young Museum

Herzog & de Meuron developed the idea of a variably perforated screen exterior which would mirror the green foliage and forestry of the surrounding Golden Gate Park, San Francisco's central park. The architects worked with Zahner whose engineers and software specialists developed a system which would allow unique perforation and patterned dimples, variably sized and placed throughout the exterior. This included near 8000 unique facade panels — the collective whole which formed patterns of light as seen through trees. This was the first iteration of the Zahner Interpretive Relational Algorithmic Process, or the ZIRA Process.

Miu Miu Aoyama in Tokyo, Japan. Designed by Herzog & de Meuron.

Doha Student Housing

January 4, 2017/in Exterior Architecture Education, LEED Asia, Doha--Qatar, International, Middle East Burns & McDonnell Blue-grey, Silver L 2012 /by cmorris

Qatar Foundation Education City Student Housing Complex

The student housing complex for the Qatar Foundation’s Education City initiative is a large scale project consisting of two campuses. The complex is designed by Burns & McDonnell who brought in Zahner to provide various metalwork in titanium and stainless steel.

The design for the complex incorporates local culture with modern technology to create a unique, world-class facility for the students of Education City. A traditional Islamic village, consisting of five neighborhoods joined together by a village street leading to a central plaza, inspired the architectural design.

Zahner’s scope was fabrication and furnish-only, providing the spiral centerpiece for the campus. Local contractor teams installed the panels. The building complex is energy independent, generating its own power. This is the first student housing complex in the world to achieve LEED Platinum certification.

Related Project

Sidra Medical Center

Zahner produced the three massive 'wings' which salute the sky using ZEPPS, Zahner's process for designing and manufacturing complex structural forms. The subtle dual curvature required precise engineering and intelligent organization of components.

Qatar Foundation Education City Student Housing Complex

Carmen’s Garden

December 30, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Highrise, Residential Asia, Hong Kong, International RMJM Architecture S 1998 /by cmorris

Carmen’s Garden residential towers in Hong Kong

Working with Eton Properties and RMJM Hong Kong Limited, Zahner provided a custom laser-cut stainless steel feature wall for Carmen’s Garden residences in Hong Kong. Built in 1997, the building complex consists of 3 residential towers housing a total of 190 units.

Zahner provided the art features at the building’s ground level. These custom stainless steel details were developed for the exterior garden and interior courtyard. Located on the Kowloon peninsula in Hong Kong, the artwork was developed to provide an artistic backdrop for the residence entry.

Rather than decorate a monotonous concrete wall, RMJM saw an opportunity to create a streetscape urban sculpture related to the landscaped quality of the surroundings. The design started as an abstract drawing of a tree inspired by Chinese paper-cutting. It developed into a 5 meter high pierced screen of stainless steel.

The artwork serves as a screen to protect the MEP machinery behind and intensifies the effect of the planting in front. The outer layer has a hairline brushed finish, and the inner layer has a mirror finish which reflects the exterior layer of stainless steel. This created the impression of multiple recessive planes. — Details of Architecture

Related System

Carmen’s Garden

Detail of the custom laser-cut stainless steel panels at Carmen's Garden.

Ground-level art wall at the Carmen's Garden residences.

Tsing Yi Station

December 14, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Airport, Transportation Asia, Hong Kong, International Wong Tung Green XL 1998 /by cmorris

Tsing Yi Terminal Roof in Hong Kong

Tsing Yi Terminal is an intermodal center and train station on the Tung Chung Line of MTR and Airport Express, located on Tsing Yi Island in Hong Kong.

Designed by Wong Tung, the building features the largest copper roof in Hong Kong. Zahner manufactured the copper standing seam roof system with built-in gutters and associated flashing and fascia. The roof panels were installed as a pre-patinated copper. This means that the copper material went through a patination process in the United States, where it developed an advanced patina, a protective layer resulting from a built-up oxide on the copper surface.

Related Project

Kowloon Station

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.

Tsing Yi Station connects the island of Tsing Yi with the mainland of Hong Kong.

Installers complete the Tsing Yi Terminal Roof in Hong Kong.

Subtle curvatures along the profile of the Tsing Yi Station Terminal Roof.

Photo © A. Zahner Company.

Tsing Yi Station Terminal Roof includes custom fascia and flashing.

Tsing Yi Station Terminal Roof, running bond pattern on double-lock standing seam roof.

Zahner provided metalwork for the project. The roof edge folds over to create a clean, trimless appearance. A running bond pattern was designed for the double-lock standing seam. The project is one of a number works that Zahner has produced in Asia.

The project is located between Airport Station and Kowloon Station, another Hong Kong work of architecture featuring Zahner metalwork.

Sidra Medical Center

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Healthcare Asia, Doha--Qatar, International, Middle East Pelli Clarke Pelli Blue, Green, Orange XL 2014 /by cmorris

Sidra Medical and Research Center in Doha, Qatar

The Sidra Medical Center is designed by Cesar Pelli of Pelli Clarke Pelli with the executive architect Ellerbe Becket in Kansas City. The design is a massive Research and Medical Center which will serve both the science and health for local Qatari’s in Doha.

Zahner produced the three massive ‘wings’ which salute the sky using ZEPPS, Zahner’s process for designing and manufacturing complex structural forms. The subtle dual curvature required precise engineering and intelligent organization of components.

The Sidra project was unique for Zahner in a few different ways. Most projects produced using the ZEPPS Process feature a surface skinned with a durable metal such as stainless steel or copper. The client requested a terra cotta ceramic tile rather than a metal surface. While most environments will find stainless steel to be the highest performance materials, in environments such as a Doha, where sandstorms can blast silica into the surface, a harder, ceramic exterior facade was required.

The project was also unique for Zahner in that it was the first structure to use the Export ZEPPS. This means that instead of preassembling ZEPPS megapanels at Zahner, the ZEPPS components were fabricated and shipped in a disassembled state to Doha. There, instead of sending a field crew to Doha, local installers worked from a manual produced by Zahner. The local installers manual to produce the hundreds of unique panels in an on-site facility nearby the construction site. The panels were then crane-lifted and set by installers on each floor of the building.

Aerial photograph of Sidra, substantially completed.

Export ZEPPS for Sidra

Under normal circumstances, the ZEPPS Panels are fabricated and assembled in the Zahner shop. Each completed panel is shipped to the job site, and under ideal circumstances, installed by Zahner’s own field install team. In the case of Sidra, these ZEPPS Panels were fabricated as parts, packed, crated, and shipped in cargo containers to the site where the parts were re-assembled on site by local Qatari installers contracted by Alce Engineering. Below, a Zahner worker organizes parts for crating and shipment.

To organize this overseas project required the production of digital and paper instruction manuals particular to the Sidra Project’s Export ZEPPS. Zahner Engineers worked with the Marketing Department at Zahner to accurately convey all aspects of assembling Sidra’s Export ZEPPS Panels for prompt installation onto the structure.

Photograph of the paper version of the Export ZEPPS™ Manual for Sidra.

Assembly of an Export ZEPPS™ Panel in Doha.

About the Sidra Medical Center

Sidra is part of a new medical zone on the Education City campus. The Sidra Medical Center will also include residential accommodations for about 300 nurses, a car park and a pedestrian walkway to Weill Cornell Medical College. Sidra Medical Center houses over 500 beds for patients.

At full operation, Sidra will employ over 2,000 full time staff, including a team of highly talented and accomplished physicians and scientists to help establish the medical and research facility as a genuine center of excellence.

Regazzoni Sculpture

August 15, 2016/in Art & Sculpture, Interior Architecture Education, Sculpture Asia, Doha--Qatar, International, Middle East Legorreta + Legorreta Ricardo Regazzoni Gold, Silver M /by cmorris

Ricardo Regazzoni Sculpture at Georgetown, Qatar

Forty reflective spiraling forms appear to float above the atrium at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Services in the capital city of Doha, Qatar. Completed in 2012, this project marks the fourth significant work produced by Zahner in Doha, and the second produced under the vision of architects Legorreta + Legorreta who designed the building for Georgetown University at Doha as well as the HBKU Doha University Student Center a few blocks away.

The artwork at the heart of Georgetown University was conceived by sculptor Ricardo Regazzoni, engineered by Zahner, fabricated in the Zahner shop, and installed by local installers in Doha under Zahner supervision. Each of the forms measures 38’ long, and the artwork fills an area of 82’ x 131’ over the open atrium.

Collaboration between Zahner and Regazzoni is a match of of kindred philosophies. While Regazzoni works to transform architectural columns and archways into artistic expression, Zahner works to bring architecture into the realm of art. This alignment of sensibilities between the artist and fabricator gave this project a strong sense of direction.

Regazzoni Sculpture at Georgetown University.

Upward view of individual hanging sculptures by Ricardo Regazzoni.

View from below a hanging sculpture at Georgetown Qatar, by Ricardo Regazzoni.

Design Assist for Art: The Regazzoni Sculpture

In late 1990s while working with Frank Gehry on the EMP Museum in Seattle, Zahner coined a term which has become the industry standard for building complex projects: Design Assist. The museum’s complexity required that Zahner work closely with Gehry’s office to develop the design. Design assist was first used to describe this process. Since then, design assist has become widely known as the most intelligent construction method for achieving efficient and cost-effective production of complex architectural projects. Along with frequent partner Metalabs, this process is now being applied to art.

The Regazzoni Sculpture details were developed by Zahner’s think tank of installers, engineers, and fabricators: the Design Assist team at Zahner. This group of engineers and consultants worked together with the artist to develop a system which could meet both the functional and visual standards. The team developed a mockup to test the drawings and construction processes.

Detail of the Regazzoni mockup, revealing its minimalist connections.

Rendering of the Regazzoni installation in CAD.

From Mockup to Installation: The Regazzoni Sculpture

Regazzoni’s undulating, diagonal forms were extremely intricate, requiring specialized engineering and attention to craft during every stage of their creation: from design, to fabrication, to installation. Working within Regazzoni’s vision, Zahner’s Design Assist team developed specialized details for the connections of each intricate geometric part.

Zahner began by producing a mockup of the artist’s design, providing a model that revealed the connections and provided a template for the components. The design features a weld-less connection system. It was important to eliminate welds so that the mirror-polished surface would be free of any discoloration from the welding process.

The resulting surface minimizes the appearance of fasteners, and weld discoloration. The headless pin system is almost indiscernible to the naked eye, and the connections prove to be every bit as strong as welded joints: each connection is capable of supporting 600 kilos, or five times the hanging sculpture’s weight.

Shipping the Regazzoni

Due to its complex geometry and elongated form, the Regazzoni was susceptible to bending during shipment and transportation. To accommodate for this risk, Zahner designed custom lifting rigs and crating to ensure that the piece arrived at the installation site in good condition. Below is an example of the crating, which was custom-built to efficiently and safely ship the pieces overseas to Doha, Qatar. Zahner is committed to the integrity of an artist’s vision, from the preliminary stages of design to shipment and the final days of installation.

Zahner shop personnel make measurements to align the Regazzoni sculpture.

Zahner shipment personnel package the forms in open crates for delivery.

The artist wanted a visual masterpiece with concealed connections, so that each form appears to be suspended by magic. Zahner’s biscuit extrusion is used to attach the metal tendrils to the ceiling.

Building Art & Architecture

Together with the Metalabs art services team, Zahner has completed over 70 public and private works of art for both established and emerging artists. Working with artists has expanded Zahner’s research and development team, which has in turn provided many innovative surfaces, processes, and techniques applicable to both art and architecture. Zahner’s team of engineers and fabricators have proven flexible to many kinds of projects, and have produced works of many scales. Get in touch with to learn about how Zahner can integrate into your project.

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.

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.

Related Project

Tsing Yi Station

Daeyang Gallery

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Museum, Residential Asia, International, Seoul--South Korea E.Rae Architects, Steven Holl Architects Red M 2011 /by cmorris

WRNS Studio is an architecture and planning firm that provides sustainable design for education, healthcare, transportation, civic and urban mixed-use. The award-winning firm is recognized nationally, and is based in San Francisco with offices in New York City and Honolulu.

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.

Daeyang Gallery and House

Designed by Steven Holl Architects with architect of record E.Rae Architects of Seoul, this unique structure serves dual purposes, as both a residential guest house as well as an art gallery for visitors. JongSeo Lee of Steven Holl Architects was the associate in charge, and the project was completed in 2011.

The structure’s geometry is inspired by a John Cage sketch for a music score by the composer Istvan Anhalt, ‘Symphony of Modules,’ which Cage illustrated in an abstract form. The unusual shaped composition has now been reimagined as the plan layout of the Daeyang residence, continuing the chain from music, to art, to architecture.

This state of continued change and process informs many aspects of the building. Zahner worked closely with both the owner and the design team to develop a custom patina for the copper panel system that would match the desired coloration with natural warmth and texture.

Related Surface

Daeyang Gallery

Because of the unique range of tones and the material’s rich aging process, copper holds a special significance in the hearts and minds of those at Zahner. The material’s tone and color is perpetually in a state of flux, changing with each location based on the temperature, moisture, and pollutants in its environment.

This constant state of change will add character and soul to the gallery’s surface. The custom deep red tone that was developed will likely darken over time, and eventually may even begin to green and blue. The difference between copper and other materials, is that this constant state of ‘corrosion’ is actually the process of forming a stunningly beautiful protective barrier which will outlast any sealer, paint, or protective coating.

View through the slats of the Daeyang Gallery entrance.

Architect's model of the Daeyang Gallery and House.

Front gates of the Daeyang Gallery and House.

Detail of the copper patina for the Daeyang Gallery and House.

Panoramic of the Daeyang Gallery and House during construction.

Bamboo form construction for Daeyang Gallery and House.

Copper wall panel for the Daeyang Gallery and House.

Daeyang Gallery and House during construction.

Installation of wall panel systems for Daeyang Gallery and House.

The custom panels were installed by local workers in Seoul, South Korea. Zahner supplied the pre-engineered panels which securely locked into the substructure. Photographs of the completed building can be viewed at Steven Holl Architects website.