S | Zahner

Pomona Planters

December 26, 2016/in Landscape Architecture Retail & Commerce, Urban Design Kansas City Young + Dring Grey, White S 2010 /by cmorris

Tree Surrounds and Planter Systems for Power & Light District

Working with Young + Dring, Zahner provided custom metalwork for planters in the Power & Light District of Kansas City. As the largest single implementation of streetscape in the downtown area, the installation of 180 Ginkgo trees resulted in a verdant urban forest.

Focused on tree health and long-term growth, custom planters and metal tree-surrounds were functionally and aesthetically designed by Young+Dring, which were then fabricated and installed by Zahner. Each of the aluminum plate planters was water jet cut to manufacture the patterned metal.

The award-winning Power & Light District is part of the current downtown Kansas City renaissance. In an ongoing effort since 2005, Young + Dring have participated in the revitalization of seven city blocks. The result is a more verdant, more walkable space in downtown Kansas City.

Related System

Pomona Planters

Detail of the Young+Dring planter boxes for the Power & Light District

Detail of the Young+Dring tree surrounds for the Power & Light District

Fabrication in the Zahner shop for the Young+Dring planters

Midland Theatre

December 15, 2016/in Art & Sculpture, Exterior Architecture Historic, Performance Center, Renovation, Restoration Kansas City BNIM Tom Corbin Gold, Orange S 1987 /by cmorris

Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland

Midland Theatre is a historic 3,573-seat theater located in the Power & Light District of Kansas City, Missouri. The building was originally designed by Boller Bros, and has at various states been restored and renovated.

In 1987, Zahner was brought in by BNIM and and artist Tom Corbin to develop the custom architectural metal for the historic theater’s restoration.
Working from historic photographs, Zahner worked to carefully detail new fabricated components for the building’s metal marquee. Zahner artisans fabricated these parts in sheet brass and muntz, working to integrate the molded brass features cast by Tom Corbin in his foundry.
The end result is a golden marquee which resonates with the building’s original 1927 appearance.

Midtown Theatre Marquee restored to its 1927 appearance.

Restored Midland Theatre in the early 1990's.

Zahner fabricators put the finishing touches on the Midtown canopy

Detail of the cast bronze, brass and sheet Muntz Metal fabrication.

Celestial Flyways

December 14, 2016/in Art & Sculpture, Landscape Architecture Kinetic Art, Public Art, Sculpture Kansas City Davison Architecture + Urban Design Laura DeAngelis Black, Blue, Indigo S 2008 /by cmorris

Star Disk and Celestial Flyways at Oppenstein Park

Celestial Flyways is a permanent interactive and kinetic artwork made through collaboration with Zahner art fabrication team. The public space includes a central piece by Laura DeAngelis entitled Star Disk, as well as a number of embedded stainless steel artworks inlayed in the concrete pavers. The artwork coincided with a complete redesign and rebuilding of Oppenstein Brothers Memorial Park at 12th and Walnut in downtown Kansas City. The park was dedicated April 18, 2008 and named Celestial Flyways to celebrate the natural environment of the Kansas City area.

The artwork was developed by artist Laura DeAngelis in collaboration with Peregrine Honig with the leadership of Davison Architecture + Urban Design. The piece was commissioned by the Art in the Loop Foundation, a metropolitan organization of business and civic leaders with a continuing mission to enhance central Kansas City with public art.

Star Disk has a number of built-in features which align with the stars and sky. The stars are revealed through holes in the disks filled by acrylic lenses which are lit from below. Drawings of the mythological characters associated with the constellations are etched on to the surface of the disk. Park visitors rotate the star disk to a date and time with a motor operated by buttons on the base.

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“I wanted to shift people’s perceptions and encourage a different kind of awareness of the space, reconnecting the park to the sky directly overhead and the continuous rhythms of the natural world, which are so easy to lose sight of in the middle of the city.

Laura deAngelisArtist.at

According to Astrolabe.org, the anaphoric Star Disk in the park is very likely the largest and most accurate astronomical machine of this type ever made. The ten foot diameter disk contains the positions of 457 stars in 50 constellations.

In addition to the Star Disk, a number of inlayed birds are scattered throughout the landscape of the Celestial Flyways park, pictured below. These were CNC-cut and etched by Zahner with artist renderings of birds.

This project was a cooperative venture between the city of Kansas City and Jackson Country Parks and Recreation. It required two years of work, the talents of at least 150 people at a cost of nearly $500,000, much of which was donated.

More information can be learned about the process, history, and installation of Celestial Flyways at the Astrolabes.org website.

Gehry Horse Head

December 14, 2016/in Art & Sculpture, Interior Architecture Education, Sculpture, Workplace Northeastern United States, Princeton--New Jersey Frank Gehry Partners Blue-grey, Grey M, S 1997 /by cmorris

Frank Gehry Horse Head Conference Room at Princeton University

Zahner worked for long-time partner Frank Gehry to construct the original “horse head” sculpture and conference room, which now is on display at Princeton University.

Sheets of lead were hammer-formed over a plywood structure which encases a semi-private meeting space for students at Princeton University, pictured below. This was the first use of the horse motif by Frank Gehry. He would later produce a nearly identical form for the DG Bank building in Berlin nearly twice the size.

World-Architects’ John Hill profiled the sculpture at Princeton University in 2015, and discussed some of the history of the project.

“Yet Gehry did not design the sculptural “horse’s head” piece for Princeton, or as a conference room. It was to be a small part of a huge 22,000-square-foot (2,044-sm) residence for Peter B. Lewis in Lyndhurst, Ohio, but after ten years of numerous iterations the project was cancelled. Luckily a mockup, framed in wood and covered in lead, found a second life in the Icahn Lab, providing a suitable contrast to Rafael Viñoly’s curved glass wall and two-story atrium.”

— John Hill, World Architects

Related Project

Weatherhead School

The 22 ga stainless steel surface resembles an undulating, unbroken ribbon. Finished in #4 satin, the surface is more reflective than Angel Hair or GB-60 but less diffuse than a mirror-finish.

Frank Gehry Horse sculpture at Gagosian Gallery.

Installation of the horse head sculpture at Gagosian.

Frank Gehry with model for Parc des Ateliers.

Second version of the sculpture made for the DZ Bank building in Berlin

Gambucci Boutique

December 9, 2016/in Interior Architecture Retail & Commerce San Diego--California Luce et Studio Black, Blue-grey, Charcoal S 2015 /by cmorris

Laura Gambucci Boutique in La Jolla, California

Designed for Laura Gambucci by Luce et Studio, the retail boutique features a Zahner-manufactured perforated interior feature wall. Laura Gambucci, a former interior designer, worked with the design team to develop the custom interior architecture and features for her new boutique. The space presents a palette of silvers and golds, as well as blacks, greys and whites.

Working from custom options provided by Zahner, the team selected a material which would match the look and feel of the space. The material is a black Interference Stainless Steel with a mirror polish, a rich and reflective material used architecturally on major projects in the United States.

Custom furniture and fixtures can be fabricated with Zahner engineering for a variety of applications. These furnishings include both retail and exhibit design, as well as office, home, or exterior furniture.

Zahner engineers work with designers and contractors to develop integrated systems which meet a range of desired aesthetics. Below are a few examples of inspirational projects which include custom furniture designs fabricated by Zahner.

Related Project

Capitol Federal Hall

The building features various exterior and interior metalwork, design-engineered and manufactured by Zahner. The project was completed in 2015. Zahner worked with architects Gensler and Gastinger Walker, under the construction management of JE Dunn.

Upon entering the space, visitors are met with a reflective black perforated metal feature wall to their right. This wall system was designed using ImageWall provided by Zahner for making perforated metal systems. Using the online tool, designers developed a pattern, and further customized the system with a backlighting to create a unique perforated metal aesthetic

Detail of the interior screen wall with cross-seam perforation.

Black interference stainless steel used for the interior featurewall.

AECOM Cleveland Office Interior

December 6, 2016/in Interior Architecture Workplace Cleveland--Ohio AECOM Gold, Orange, Red, Violet S 2016 /by cmorris

AECOM Corporate Office at Penton Media Building

AECOM Buildings and Places division was responsible for developing the new offices at the Penton Media Building in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. The design team used Zahner ImageWall to develop a bold interior panel system for its foyer.

For its interior entrance, it was important to establish a rich and yet contemporary setting. The design team selected Dirty Penny, a copper alloy with custom patina developed by Zahner. The material has an iridescent appearance, a result of its interference effect from the mineralized patina oxide layer on its surface. In addition to perforations in the metal surface, the designers went one step further. The copper metal system is further punctuated by a series of custom emboss/deboss punches pressed into the surface of the panels.

AECOM Reception area at the Cleveland office

Detail of the embossed Dirty Penny surface used for the Cleveland office.

Detail of the AECOM Reception area interior metal panels

Nerman Museum

November 4, 2016/in Art & Sculpture, Interior Architecture Furniture, Kinetic Art, Museum Overland Park--Kansas Gould Evans Associates, Kyu Sung Woo Architects Leo Villareal Silver S 2007 /by cmorris

Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art

For the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Zahner worked with Kyu Sung Woo Architects to create interior architectural metalwork and design elements, as well as a unique permanent art installation by Leo Villareal entitled Microcosm.

The scope of work included a perforated metal ceiling and interior facade for the building’s atrium; stainless steel interior panels for the building’s entrances; custom stainless steel service desk; and the stainless steel and LED kinetic art display for the building’s Southeast entrance.

Zahner worked with both the artist and the architect to bring these various metal details to life.

“

One of the Museum’s most iconic works,”

Bruce HartmanExecutive Director of the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art..at

Microcosm at the Nerman Museum

In 2006, while the new building was in design development, Johnson County Community College commissioned a major, site-specific installation by Leo Villareal for the cantilever of the museum’s entrance. “The resulting piece, Microcosm, is now one of the museum’s most iconic works,” stated Bruce Hartman, executive director of the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art. “Leo Villareal’s survey exhibition will be a dazzling and extraordinary experience for our entire community.”

Looping animation of the Nerman Museum kinetic light display by artist Leo Villareal.

The moving lights at the Nerman Museum

Learn more about the artwork Microcosm at the Nerman Museum in Overland Park, Kansas.

Zahner worked with the artist to develop the exterior soffit and lighting. Under the guidance of Villareal, Zahner engineering technicians installed the LED light system as part of the stainless steel ceiling. The artwork is installed at the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art in Overland Park, Kansas.

“He not only gives viewers the sensory thrill of his ever-changing displays of light: he also creates a participatory social space that is fascinatingly both relaxed and spectacular.” — Susan Krane Oshman, Executive Director of the San Jose Museum of Art.

Interior metalwork for the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art.

Photo of the kinetic light and soffit system developed for the Nerman Museum of ContemporaryArt.

Graphic showing the perforated ceiling system for the Graphic showing the perforated ceiling system for the Nerman Museum of Art.

Atrium for the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art.

Detail of the perforated metal angle panels

Detail of the argyle shadows cast by folded metal with perforations.

Photos of the kinetic light and soffit system developed for the Nerman Museum of Art.

Custom stainless steel reception desk for the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art

Detail of the stainless steel reception desk for the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art

Lineage Logistics

October 10, 2016/in Interior Architecture Workplace Irvine--California, Los Angeles--California Gensler White S 2016 /by cmorris

Lineage Logistics Headquarters in Irvine California

Lineage Logistics is a port warehousing, logistics, and cold storage company with offices around the world. For the firm’s latest workspace renovation, Zahner produced custom fabricated metal with unique perforations. The design-team at Gensler Architects used ImageWall by Zahner to generate and detail their custom imagery in a custom punched metal system.

The challenge for the design team was to convey this global mission for Lineage Logistics throughout the design of its new interior. To achieve this, Gensler worked with the ImageWall team at Zahner, developing imagery of a world map which connects the office area to a casual gathering space. The end result is an inspiring representation of their client’s world-facing outlook, providing an enchanting interior which aligns the work and social spaces at Lineage Logistics in Irvine, California.

Interior metal ImageWall system with backlit painted aluminum panels.

Interior perforated metal at Lineage Logistics.

Detail of the Cross-Seam Perforation used to achieve reduced infills and eliminate the

The bespoke metal system is a custom-fabricated wall enclosure manufactured in painted aluminum with an image-punched metal aesthetic. An LED light system outlines the interior surface of the ImageWall system providing ambient backlighting. White-painted hardware, along with material and lighting selections, achieved a clean white look for the interior.

The ImageWall system makes use of Cross-Seam Perforation technology, a standard option available to ImageWall systems. Cross-Seam Perforation eliminates the “picture frame” effect that occurs with typical perforated metal panels. The resulting effect is an alignment of the image’s parametric relationship along panel folds, creating an easy to read continuous graphic.

Detail of the Lineage Logistics interior perforated wall system

Backlit perforated metal serves as an accent wall between corporate spaces.

Detail of the perforated metal, painted grey on its exterior and white on its interior.

Interior perforated metal system for Lineage Logistics.

Winged Refuge

August 15, 2016/in Art & Sculpture Government, Memorial, Sculpture Colorado Springs--Colorado John Lajba Silver M, S 2011 /by cmorris

Winged Refuge at the Colorado Springs Air Force Academy

Artist John Lajba came to Zahner with a machined cast-bronze model in-hand, which was used to accurately define the art fabrication of the commissioned monument to the United States Air Force.

Winged Refuge was manufactured using a semi-mirror stainless steel surface. The connection edges include both TIG-welded corners, as well as broken edges with Radius Reduction for the sharpest possible corner and edge connections. The two sculptures were fabricated in the Zahner shop, wrapped in blue-plastic netto, and shipped to the job site where each sculpture bolted into a raised stone section. The stone and concrete contractors then completed the rest of the ground surface.

Related System

Radius Reduction™

Radius Reduction™ provides a distinct alternative to traditional brake-formed metal panels, resulting in a crisp, origami-like metal edge on architectural applications.

Winged Refuge Sculpture at the Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, by artist John Lajba.

Photograph of John Lajba with his Winged Refuge Sculpture Model.

Simons Center

August 15, 2016/in Art & Sculpture, Interior Architecture Education, Kinetic Art, LEED Long Island--New York Perkins Eastman / ABI Chuck Hoberman Silver S 2009 /by cmorris

Simons Center for Geometry & Physics at Stony Brook

Simons Center is new building on the Stony Brook campus which features a glass and metal kinetic art wall manufactured by Zahner. Designed by the architects at Perkins Eastman, the new facility brings a world-class mathematics and physical sciences building to the Stony Brook University in Long Island, New York. The building’s most intriguing feature is the animated stainless steel kinetic surface.

The kinetic panel system first began early development in 2008, when Zahner began working on a series of projects with the renowned kinetic artist and designer, Chuck Hoberman. Hoberman foresaw a future where kinetic surfaces could respond to environmental changes (such as temperature, moisture, and light) by opening or closing an aperture on the surface of the building itself. Today these systems are now possible, and the new Center for Geometry and Physics at Stony Brook provides an early prototype.

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.

Several patterns designed by Hoberman Associates are featured on the interior of the new Stony Brook Facility, serving as both the building’s artistic centerpiece as well as a functional shading system. The floor-to-ceiling metal surface is made by layering four panels manufactured in perforated stainless steel. Three of the layers are motorized to open and close based on temperature requirements.

Each of the motorized panels revolve around one another on an engineered track defined by the designed components. The visual effect is like that of a flower, blossoming into a burst of patterns – hexagons, circles, squares and triangles. At one point in the cycle, the perforated patterns all are aligned, allowing the maximum open space. At the other end of the cycle, the pattern becomes an opaque mesh.

The kinetic surface spans 124 square meters and imbues the building with the functional capacity to dynamically change its opacity and sculpt the quality of light within.