LEED | Zahner

120 North LaSalle

muntz metal details in Chicago, Illinois

The high-rise at 120 North LaSalle was designed by Murphy/Jahn Architects and is LEED Gold® certified. Zahner provided exterior signage with an integrated lighting sconce in muntz metal to highlight the building’s address, entryway, and mosaic mural by Roger Brown.

Additional ceiling system elements, also created in muntz, were installed within the building interior. Paul Gapp of the Chicago Tribune, profiled the project, lauding the building’s unique design solutions:

“Helmut Jahn`s newest Chicago building at 120 N. LaSalle St. is a robust example of how good architecture can spring from the solution of difficult if prosaic problems.”

Muntz Metal signage at the entrance of 120 North LaSalle

Detail of the entry Muntz Metal architectural features

View upward of the mural and Muntz Metal architectural features

Exploratorium

October 12, 2016/in Exterior Architecture, Landscape Architecture LEED, Museum San Francisco Bay EHDD Architecture Karli Woodward, Mark McGowan Grey, Silver 2013 /by cmorris

Exploratorium Plankton Wall at the North Pier

The Exploratorium is a ground-breaking science museum in San Francisco. Founded in 1969, the museum is known internationally for its pioneering exhibits with hands-on creative displays of natural phenomena. In 2013, the museum opened in its new location after a redesign by EHDD Architects. The design process opened up three times the amount of space for exhibits.

Zahner was brought into the design to develop one of the three artworks devised by Mark McGowan, Art Director for the Exhibit Environments at the Exploratorium:

“My goal was to use the building’s otherwise neutral architectural features to visually display things that would normally be invisible, to express something about the site and what’s there—the tides, the bay water, and the equipment that’s contributing to the museum’s net-zero energy goal—in a visual way.”

Zahner worked with the team to develop the Plankton Wall, a stainless steel artwall which is situated at the Northeast elevation facing the San Francisco Bay. As part of the Bay Observatory Terrace, the Plankton Wall is a semi-reflective surface showing a randomized grid of what appear to be patterned circles. These circles are abstract versions of sketches initially created by Karli Woodward, Living Systems Technician, of four different types of baywater plankton.

Each of the holes which compose the patterned circles were die-cut in Kansas City, composed of only 6 differently sized punches. The wall’s stainless steel panels were fabricated by Zahner in Kansas City, Missouri.

Best Examples of Residential Architecture featuring Zahner

Private residences as well as residential developments require safe design and engineering practices, as well as attractive design aesthetics and craft. Creating unique residential architectural details for endurance of both functional performance as well enduring aesthetics requires careful engineering and smart manufacturing. See below examples of projects including Zahner manufacturing for residential architecture.

Operable doors clad in the Zahner perforated metal open to the ocean bay.

Entrance to the Exploratorium in San Francisco.

Detail of the custom perforated iconography at the Exploratorium.

Photo of the Plankton Wall at the Exploratorium.

Detail of the ocean-facing Plankton Wall at the Exploratorium in San Francisco.

View of the Plankton Wall from the Bay Observation Terrace at the Exploratorium.

Detail off the Plankton Wall view from the Bay Observation Terrace at the Exploratorium.

Wyly Theater

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture LEED, Performance Center Dallas--Texas Kendall Heaton Associates, OMA, REX Architecture Silver L 2008 /by cmorris

Dee & Charles Wyly Theatre

Situated in the arts district of downtown Dallas, the critically acclaimed Wyly Theatre was designed by REX Architecture and Rem Koolhaas OMA. Heralded as one of the most intelligently conceived performance centers in the world, the Wyly is designed to accommodate traditional and experimental performances of music, dance, and cinema in a uniquely rigged space that rapidly transforms to meet various performance requirements.

Such a unique interior space called for a similarly unique exterior. Zahner provided the design, engineering, fabrication, and installation of the extruded anodized aluminum facade.

Related Project

Winspear Opera House

Zahner produced the canopy which covers the Winspear as well as the Strauss Square and Sammons Park. These two venues offer outdoor performances and projected shows.

Detail of the perforated aluminum lighting system for Wyly Theatre.

Wyly Theatre by REX Architecture & Rem Koolhaus OMA

Designing the Facade for Wyly Theatre

The architects contracted Zahner in a Design Assist process to develop a solution for the building façade. The process enables both the design and fabrication teams to solidify a clear design concept, increasing efficiencies before moving to the fabrication phase.

The concept for the Wyly façade began with an idea that, through design iteration and charrette, culminated in taking the idea one step further. The result is an extruded aluminum façade that emulates the billowing fabric of a closed curtain. Perforations in key areas allow for elegant lighting of the building’s signage.

As part of the Design Assist process, a mockup is produced to further aid in downstream planning. The mockup serves a critical function in each project, often revealing previously unknown insights and methodologies for efficient fabrication and installation.

W Hollywood

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture, Landscape Architecture Highrise, Hospitality, LEED Los Angeles--California Daly Genik, HKS Grey M 2010 /by cmorris

W Hollywood Flagship Hotel and Residences, Rooftop Canopy

One of the earliest completed architectural works which could be described as “generative design”, the rooftop canopy for the W Hollywood flagship was designed by HKS and Daly Genik. The design team’s concept was ahead of its time: the lightweight shingled surface which allows air and light to flow through its surface is both functionally and aesthetically forward-thinking, an aesthetic which became highly visible years after its completion.

Its form evokes the effect of a ruffled skirt, a concept which has become more prevalent since the structure’s completion. The design also provides a cooling effect both for its shade and breeze.

The 15-story award winning building is certified LEED Silver, winning the prestigious Millennium Award. Completed in 2010, the hotel is located in downtown Hollywood in California, an area which is becoming vertically dense with highrise buildings such as the W Hollywood.

Zahner was involved with the Daly Genik-designed curvilinear aluminum and steel canopy on the building’s rooftop garden. The canopy brings thousands of shingled aluminum panels to adorn the curving form which serves as a shade canopy for W Hollywood pool-side guests.

W Hollywood Hotel in CAD

Image © A. Zahner Company.

Architects from Daly Genik examine the mockup at Zahner.

The system borrows components from the ZEPPS process, which informed both the fabrication and installation process for the rooftop cabana. Zahner’s Design Assist team designed the details and engineered the structural canopy. The Design Assist team met with architects from Daly Genik to develop a section of the canopy as a mockup, which was constructed in the Zahner shop in Kansas City.

Architect's Rendering of the W Hollywood Flagship Hotel.

W Hollywood Further Reading

The highlight of the hotel’s rooftop pool area is a curving cabana wrapped in aluminum scales; it was designed by Daly Genik Architects, which also was responsible for the condominium interiors and the striking Douglas fir-lined lobby for the condo tower. Kevin Daly, a founder of the firm, said the W asked him to design the cabana as ‘a Venus’ flytrap for supermodels.

— Christopher Hawthorne, LA Times

Below are links to both external resources, articles, and press, as well as internal links to similar projects and products used in the W Hollywood Flagship Hotel.

W Hollywood Awards The W Hollywood Website.
Architects Newspaper Team Hollywood Alissa Walker, January 2010
LA Times W Hotel: An Urban Complexity Christopher Hawthorne, January 2010
Google Maps W Hotel Hollywood Map in Zahner Earth
Zahner Product: ZEPPS Process for building complex curves

Trinity River

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture, Landscape Architecture LEED, Museum Dallas--Texas Antoine Predock Architect PC Brown L 2008 /by cmorris

Trinity River Audubon Center

Designed by New Mexico-based architectural firm Antoine Predock PC, the new project is connected to one of the largest inner-city forests in the United States. The Building serves as an exhibit hall for both the interior and exterior natural phenomena.

Completed in 2008, the project uses a precursor to Solanum Steel, a surface Zahner designed for long-term durable exterior steel surfaces. Zahner was the producer and installer of the weathering steel wall panels used on the exterior facade.

The is the first LEED-Certified building constructed by the Parks and Recreation Department of Dallas, Texas. It includes a vegetated roof, rainwater collection systems, recycled construction materials and energy eficient systems.

Covered area at the Trinity River Audubon Center.

Zahner is a long-time fabricator and collaborator for Predock Architecture, having provided the engineered facades for the Museum of Science and Industry in Florida, the Hoag Rawling Museum in Colorado, the Tacoma Museum of Art in Washington, and the El Paso Federal Courthouse in Texas.

South entrance for the Trinity River Audubon Center.

Detail of the Trinity River Audubon Center in Dallas, Texas

Detail of the South entrance to the Trinity River Audubon Center.

Aerial photograph of the Trinity River Audubon site.

The Smithsonian NMAI

August 15, 2016/in Interior Architecture Exhibit, LEED, Museum Washington D.C. Jones & Jones, SmithGroup Ramona Sakiestewa Charcoal, Gold, Green L 2004 /by cmorris

THE SMITHSONIAN National Museum of the American Indian

Zahner was selected for the production of several decorative and artistic elements for the National Museum for the American Indian (NMAI). The Smithsonian-owned NMAI is dedicated to the preservation, study, and exhibition of the life, languages, literature, history, and arts of Native Americans.

The architectural design process included a number of designers and artists, including artist Ramona Sakiestewa, architects Jones & Jones with SmithGroup, and exhibition designers at Gerald Hilferty.

Zahner worked with Hopi artist Ramona Sakiestewa to produce a copper screen wall, a permanent installation in the court of the museum which lines a walkway down to the open space. Copper was chosen to acknowledge the antiquity of the Indian people who lived in the Northeast. It was a widely used material in Mound Builder cultures, which stretched from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, east of the Mississippi, over 2000 years ago.

Photograph of Ramona Sakiestewa (Artist) and Ilze Jones (Architect) for the Smithsonian NMAI

Photograph of Ramona Sakiestewa (Artist) and Ilze Jones (Architect) for the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C.

Photo © A. Zahner Company

Fabrication at Zahner HQ for the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C.

Photo © A. Zahner Company

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN IN WASHINGTON D.C.

PHOTO © A. ZAHNER COMPANY.

National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C.

Photo © A. Zahner Company

Potomac Room at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C.

Photo © A. Zahner Company

Copper screenwall for the National Museum for the American Indian in Washington D.C.

PHOTO © A. ZAHNER COMPANY.

Detail of the COPPER SCREENWALL

PHOTO © A. ZAHNER COMPANY.

National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C.

Photo © A. Zahner Company

PHOTO © A. ZAHNER COMPANY.

National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C.

Photo © A. Zahner Company

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.

Pearl Marriott

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Hospitality, LEED Pacific Northwest, Portland--Oregon SERA Architects Gold, Yellow M 2014 /by cmorris

Pearl District Marriott Residence Inn

The Pearl District Marriott Residence Inn, designed by SERA Architects, is a project featuring a bumped and perforated screenwall supplied by Zahner. Named for its neighborhood, the Pearl District is a historic area of Portland. Local businesses liken the urban district’s buildings to oysters, whose hidden ‘pearls’ were the gallery and artists’ spaces contained within — hence the name.

The Pearl District Residence Inn boasts 223 guestrooms in its six story building. A series of custom perforated aluminum panels by Zahner provide privacy screens for the rooms and decorative shading along the front of the façade. These painted yellow screens also add an element of modernity to the surrounding historic warehouse structures, elevating the extended stay hotel from the typical guest experience.

Parametrically Designed Perforation and Embossing

When SERA Architects approached Zahner with their idea for the perforation pattern, it existed as a simple jpeg image of an evanescent starburst shape. Zahner’s team of design engineers used that image to create an algorithmic concept that mathematically defined each perforation. The process uses a customized ImageWall system to perforate imagery on the metal surface, and create subtle variation the building’s screen wall.

Pearl District Residence Inn Marriott in Portland, Oregon.

During the design phase, there was active communication between Zahner and SERA Architects regarding parameters and variables. This exchange of ideas was essential to reach the final design. In order to make the gradation blend in a more nuanced, subtle manner, dithering was applied during the engineering process. Zahner also worked with the designers to create a series of embossed and debossed bumps, which added texture as well as rigidity to the panels. This additional rigidity means that the metal could be specified at a thinner gauge, reducing the material cost for the client.

During this design engineering process, files were exchanged between Zahner and the architects, along with several different iterations of samples. Once the final design was determined, the files went from design engineering into production engineering.

Efficient Installation of Custom Perf Panels

The architects wanted to create seamless connection details with no visible fasteners and clean edges. The system used to achieve this is the Inverted Seam, a patented system developed for this purpose. In addition to the wall panels, Zahner provided vertical aluminum extrusions which provide the support structure. These vertical extrusions have slots so that the aluminum panels lower in and lock into place without any need for additional fasteners. This is a Drop & Lock connection.

Zahner’s locking panels require no additional hardware or attachment methods, making for a straightforward install and no visible fasteners. Each panel was also labeled with a unique code, corresponding to its location on the building. This streamlined process enabled the local installers to position and fasten the panels with ease, reducing the schedule for the client.

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.

Related System

Metal Embossing & Deep Texture Design by Zahner

Zahner's unique history of metal embossing for bumped and dimpled metal surfaces has been used over the years to create unique approaches to metal panel systems. Create deep textures in metal surfaces with your designs.

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.