Government | 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.

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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.

Fresno City Hall

December 30, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Government Fresno--California Arthur Erickson, Lew & Patnaude Architects Silver XL 1992 /by cmorris

Fresno City Hall in Historic Fresno, California

The Fresno City Hall, designed by Arthur Erickson, features a number of Zahner-manufactured systems throughout the interior and exterior of the building. Developed with associate architects Lew & Patnaude and Edwin S. Darden & Associates, the building includes a massive stainless steel roof and facade with a muted finish provided by Zahner. The 300,000 SF structure is five stories high, and measures 66′ at its highest point.

Aluminum and stainless steel custom details can be seen throughout the interior and exterior. Zahner provided not only the exterior stainless steel metalwork, but also its interior stainless steel metalwork and staircase.

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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 building includes a range of metal details provided by Zahner. The metal aspects of its building envelope, the custom columns at its rear entrance, various soffit and metal cladding, awnings, mullions, and transoms.

All of these metal components are designed and fabricated to endure the test of time. This building was completed in 1991, but the photographs below were taken in 2016, nearly thirty years after the project’s completion. The images are a testament to the durability and longevity of stainless steel.

Aerial photo of Fresno City Hall in Fresno, California.

An shaded walkway covers both the South and North (pictured) wings of the Fresno City Hall exterior.

Details of the metalwork for Fresno City Hall.

Bullnose stainless steel details, Fresno City Hall.

Custom mullion and soffit on Fresno City Hall.

Custom stainless steel column and light fixtures on the Northeast elevation of Fresno City Hall.

Stainless steel column systems for Fresno City Hall.

Custom stainless steel column-clad system for Fresno City Hall.

Custom bullnose mullion and soffit details.

Custom mullion details for the Fresno City Hall curtainwall.

Jakarta Australian Embassy

December 7, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Government, Passive Security International, Jakarta--Indonesia Denton Corker Marshall Blue, Gold, Green, Grey, Red XL 2016 /by cmorris

Australian Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia

The Australian Embassy in Jakarta features a number of buildings manufactured in a variety of metal surfaces. The Embassy features an expansive palette of custom Zahner finishes and patinas on high-performance metal alloys.

The Australian Embassy complex houses the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and 13 other government departments and agencies. Denton Corker Marshall’s design includes a massive complex, covering over 530,000 square feet of space.

Creating an Embassy with Enduring Metals

The building complex includes both housing as well as a chancery for the building’s staff. The Embassy chancery was clad in a full range of trademark metal materials made by Zahner. Each of these high-end surfaces are detailed to provide high-performance and endure city pollutants over time.

The building complex was split into a number of modules, each designed with a unique metal surface. Zahner custom-fabricated and delivered the facade systems for each of the towers, which are clad top-to-bottom in their respective metal surfaces.

The metal panels, manufactured by Zahner, include stainless steel, patinated copper and zinc, color anodized aluminum, and preweathered steel. In total, Zahner manufactured 70,000 panels and trims. These were engineered, fabricated, and shipped 13,000 miles — on time and within the budget of the project.

Signature Surfaces for the Chancery

The patinated materials and custom finishes developed for the buildings include a range of Zahner-developed products. Surface materials used include Star Blue Copper, a prepatinated copper material; Solanum Steel, a preweathered deep earthen-colored metal; and Hunter Zinc, a limestone-toned metal patina on zinc. The building also included anodized aluminum, made in both clear and gold.

In the Embassy’s official press release for the unveiling, the metals chosen provide insight into Australia’s mineral economy:

“The distinctive colours chosen for the Chancery are designed to represent Australia’s wealth in minerals such as copper, zinc, brass, steel and aluminium.”

The panels also feature a series of circular ‘bumps’, which offer added texture and dimensionality. The delineation of the embossed and debossed metal was done under close collaboration between the architects at Denton Corker Marshall and Zahner. Total Bangun Persada and Leighton served as the General Contractors for the project, with Aurecon Australia serving as the primary engineer. Zahner worked closely with Leighton Asia, whose team ensured good communication and success for the building complex construction.

Zahner has two production plants (one in Grand Prairie, Texas and another in Kansas City, Missouri), so the company was able to work in tandem between sheet production, engineering and shop-forming. This provided the massive output needed to cover the 330,000 square-feet of metal panels under the project’s aggressive 12-month schedule.

In an interview by ABC, Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Paul Grigson lauded the building’s architectural design, and celebrated its ecological imperative:

“The Embassy showcases the best in Australian innovative design and cutting edge technology to make the most out of the Indonesia’s environment while minimising the impact on local water and energy sources,”

Construction of the new embassy, which commenced in 2012, cost $415 million. This is the biggest project that the Australian government has spent on a building complex outside the shores of Australia.

Features of the Building Complex

The new complex is at Patra Kuningan in the southern area of Jakarta. The Embassy includes a five-storey Chancery, accommodation for some Embassy staff, and recreation and medical centers. The grounds cover over 530,000 SF of space.

According to the official press release, the compound can withstand a one in 2,500-year earthquake and can move 600 millimetres in any direction. The Embassy complex uses low resource technologies such as collecting and using rainwater as well as solar hot water heating systems.

One of the most exciting aspects of the new complex, is how the ground’s massive banyan trees have put the Australian embassy into the Indonesian Guinness Book of Records. Four mature trees were relocated near the building’s entrance, the biggest tree relocation of its kind ever taken.

For this, the building received a Museum Rekor Indonesia (MURI) award. This award is in recognition of how the new Embassy celebrates the Indonesian national pride. Part of the Indonesian coat of arms, the Banyan tree is a symbol which represents for the Indonesian-Australian partnership, denoting how a single nation can have far-flung roots.

Among its green features are a living rooftop, rainwater harvesting, energy efficient air-conditioning and a number of solar hot water systems.

“The Embassy showcases the best in Australian innovative design and cutting edge technology to make the most out of the Indonesia’s environment while minimising the impact on local water and energy sources,” said Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Paul Grigson.

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

Eugene Courthouse

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Government, LEED Eugene--Oregon DLR Group, Morphosis Silver L 2006 /by cmorris

The Wayne L. Morse Federal Courthouse in Eugene, Oregon.

The Wayne L. Morse Federal Courthouse was the first project Zahner completed with Morphosis architects. The architects were introduced to Zahner through the general contractor on the project, JE Dunn Construction, who managed the project. Located in Eugene, Oregon, the courthouse was completed in 2006, and it serves the District of Oregon as part of the Ninth Judicial Circuit. The building was named in honor of the late senator Wayne Lyman Morse.

The 266,742 square-foot building is six stories tall, with six courtrooms as well as offices for the courts and other agencies. Thom Mayne of Morphosis led the design team, winning the bid to design the project though careful planning and dedication to the project.

The building is clad with Angel Hair stainless steel, which prevents hot-spots from appearing on the metal in direct sunlight. The non-directional surface gives the building a uniform, semi-reflective tone. The sides are finished using 14ga stainless steel with Angel Hair finish rainscreen wall panel and recessed flat-seam system. The entire building team used BIM technology, which ensured that all contractors and subs and the architects were on the same page at all times, and that construction moved smoothly along its rapid 24-month construction schedule.

When it opened it became the first new federal courthouse in the United States to earn LEED Gold status.

The Morphosis-designed Wayne L. Morse United States Courthouse in Eugene, Oregon.

View from the south of the entrance to the Morse Courthouse in Eugene, Oregon.

Connection details for the building's stainless steel facade.

Detail of the stainless steel facade for Eugene Federal Courthouse.

Detail photograph of the Wayne L. Morse United States Courthouse.

Photograph from the southeastern entrance to the Morse Courthouse.

Building with Green Technologies

The structure earned a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification for its energy efficiency and sustainability. Zahner worked closely with architects at Morphosis and General Contractor JE Dunn to keep costs down, transitioning from the originally planned zinc facade to stainless steel, and saving $2.1 million in installation costs.

The building is a result of the General Services Administration (GSA), which held a competition for the design of the new courthouse. The building is part of the Design in Excellence Program, a GSA project which seeks to increase the quality of architecture for federal government projects. The total cost to complete the project was $96 million. Due to budget cuts, elements including a rooftop reflecting pool and etching of the Bill of Rights onto the exterior were removed from the project. In 2007, the AIA named the courthouse one of the top ten green projects of the year, citing the minimal maintenance needs of the materials used for the courthouse.

There are a total of approximately 2,400 ribbed panels (main structure) and 2,400 flat pan panels (stair towers) constructed of 14 gage 316 stainless steel with an Angel Hair finish. There is approximately 110,000 square feet of stainless steel on this project.

Aerial view of the Wayne L. Morse United States Courthouse.

Design Assist for Morphosis

The design assist process provides an invaluable service to the production of complex buildings and surfaces. For the Morse Courthouse, the challenges were set high for both the engineering team as well as the Zahner artisans who would build the metal components.

Zahner worked closely with Morphosis to assist in the design details for the paneling systems. Throughout 2004 and 2005, the architects and engineers traded drawings, three-dimensional models, and digitally printed three-dimesional physical models (below) to facilitate the fabrication process.

Model of the Wayne L. Morse United States Courthouse.

Zahner has since worked with Morphosis on several projects, such as the Cooper Union in New York City, Emerson College in Los Angeles, and Gates Hall at Cornell in Ithaca, New York. See more projects completed by Morphosis with Zahner, and contact Zahner to see how we can work for your team.

El Paso Courthouse

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Government, LEED El Paso--Texas Antoine Predock Architect PC Black, Charcoal, Gold, Violet L 2010 /by cmorris

El Paso United States Federal Courthouse

Designed by Antoine Predock Architects, the award-winning courthouse in El Paso features a Zahner-manufactured copper facade. Officially dedicated in early September of 2010, the construction of the courthouse was made possible by American Recovery and Reinvestment Act investments by GSA.

The courthouse has been recognized around the United States for both its architectural qualities and its environmentally innovative design.

The building won the Texas Downtown Association’s President’s Award for Best New Construction, which recognizes construction excellence in downtown or commercial districts. Judges were impressed by the use of materials, which paid homage to the copper industry of El Paso and how the design of the building connected with the surrounding downtown.

North elevation of the El Paso Federal Courthouse.

Detail of the Special Proceedings Court at El Paso's Federal Courthouse.

El Paso Courthouse viewed from the northwest.

The building’s mass is largely composed of two materials. Limestone, quarried locally in Texas, and copper, a material which references the local smelter. Zahner provided engineering-design, as well as fabrication and installation of the copper panels.

The building was certified as LEED Silver by the U.S. Green Building Council. Its design makes use of innovative ventilation and air conditioning; computerized heating systems; lighting and utility metering to conserve energy; window glazing; energy-efficient Energy Star products; as well as interior and exterior elements made from recycled materials.

Building the El Paso Federal Courthouse

Zahner was was responsible for the custom cladding of the El Paso Courthouse. This included the engineering, fabrication, and installation of the red copper facade.

As the installers began cladding the building, the material began to blacken in areas as intended. This is caused by the oxidation of the surface, the natural process of patination on copper.

El Paso Federal Courthouse during construction.

The patina begins to form on the surface of the recently completed courthouse.

As the metal oxidizes, the material will go through the stages of copper weathering. After a year, the appearance matches the Dirty Penny patina, and the surface will continue to age, evolve, and change in color.