Renovation | Zahner

Suzanne and Walter Scott Aquarium

November 1, 2021/in Exterior Architecture Entertainment, Renovation, Sculpture, Zoo Omaha--Nebraska Smith Bourne & Associates Blue, Green, Grey, Orange, Silver, White M 2019 Featured /by dsegard

Suzanne and Walter Scott Aquarium at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo

Originally built in 1995, renovations for the Suzanne and Walter Scott Aquarium at the Omaha Zoo were completed in May 2020, featuring a redesigned facade, an updated outdoor cafeteria area, and new entrance features to the aquarium and aquarium conference center. As our third project in the Omaha metro area, Zahner provided various new design elements for this renovation, including the stainless steel wave facade on top of the building, the custom-cut metal coral features and column covers, the dimpled blue stainless steel cladding around the café, and the milled sea creatures that adorn the walls surrounding the space.

Completed Sea Turtle Cafe at the Suzanne and Walter Scott Aquarium.

Photo by Alexandra Hoffman, ARKO | © A. Zahner Company

Completed entrance sign for the aquarium, fabricated utilizing Zahner's ZEPPS system.

Photo by Alexandra Hoffman, ARKO | © A. Zahner Company

Suzanne and Walter Scott Aquarium exterior and Sea Turtle Cafe at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo at sunset.

Photo by Alexandra Hoffman, ARKO | © A. Zahner Company

Zahner was brought on early in the concept development stage to provide Design Assist, which allowed us to work closely with the project team to refine the design intent, provide guidance on materials and finishes, and construct a comprehensive mockup for review before the project went into full fabrication. Due to this collaboration, there were zero change orders on the scope, and installation ran smoothly in cooperation with the contractor and the other trades’ schedules.

Original sketch for the Suzanne and Walter Scott Aquarium facade, by Mark Bourne.

Photo courtesy of Henry Doorly Zoo

Visual mockup for the Suzanne and Walter Scott Aquarium facade, assembled in Zahner's Kansas City facility.

Night viewing of the mockup for the Suzanne and Walter Scott Aquarium facade.

The freeform wave facade that sits atop the Sea Turtle Café was fabricated using Zahner’s ZEPPS™ technology, which combined the framing structure and the exterior skin into a complete curvilinear system. The individual wave units were pre-fabricated in our shop and shipped to the job site, where Zahner field technicians installed the full facade.

Zahner field workers install the wave facade on top of the Suzanne and Walter Scott Aquarium.

PHOTO © A. ZAHNER COMPANY

Profile of the completed wave facade on top of the Sea Turtle Cafe at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo.

Photo by Alexandra Hoffman, ARKO | © A. Zahner Company

The face of the waves features a custom etched pattern that provides a reflective, rippling water effect.

Photo by Alexandra Hoffman, ARKO | © A. Zahner Company

View of the Sea Turtle Cafe outdoor space at sunset with lighting.

Photo by Alexandra Hoffman, ARKO | © A. Zahner Company

Various multi-color lighting systems were incorporated into the design to emphasize the aquatic theme at night.

Photo by Alexandra Hoffman, ARKO | © A. Zahner Company

Decorative painted aluminum coral features adorn the edges of the café’s canopy and wrap the supporting columns. These were cut on our water jet before they were hand-rolled to the correct radius.

Custom-embossed blue stainless steel clads the walls of the Sea Turtle Café and mimics the look of rippling water. Zahner fabricated a custom die to create this seemingly random emboss pattern. This feature is further highlighted by the lighting throughout the space, creating a fully immersive experience for visitors.

Zahner also provided the various metal sea creatures that decorate the walls of the café and the entrance sign. Each sea creature was individually milled out of aluminum on our CNC equipment.

The dual-layered coral feaures were waterjet cut out of aluminum to clad the edge of the canopy.

Photo by Alexandra Hoffman, ARKO | © A. Zahner Company

Custom rippled blue stainless steel clads the ceiling of the outdoor cafe to create an underwater feel to the space.

Photo by Alexandra Hoffman, ARKO | © A. Zahner Company

Custom milled sea turtles and starfish against the rippled blue stainless steel cladding.

Photo by Alexandra Hoffman, ARKO | © A. Zahner Company

Zahner millled out several different sea creatures to decorate the walls of the cafe, including sharks, jellyfish, turtles, stingrays, and starfish.

Photo by Alexandra Hoffman, ARKO | © A. Zahner Company

All elements of Zahner's scope are further emphasized at night time.

Photo by Alexandra Hoffman, ARKO | © A. Zahner Company

174 North Eleventh

July 27, 2017/in Exterior Architecture Highrise, Renovation, Residential Brooklyn--New York, New York City Kutnicki Bernstein Architects Green M 2017 /by cmorris

178 North Eleventh is mixed-use residential renovation designed by Kutnicki Bernstein Architects. The building features an antique patina on copper sheets provided by Zahner.

The seven-story building is a former button factory and manufacturing warehouse, developed by Great Point Properties to serve the Williamsburg neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. The building’s facade is divided between two distinct blocks of various sized blue-green copper panels produced on Star Blue copper, a standard antiqued copper patina developed by Zahner.

Related Project

Daeyang Gallery

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.

Facade for 178 North Eleventh with antique copper patina in Brooklyn, New York.

Detail of the custom facade for 178 North Eleventh with antique copper patina in Brooklyn, New York.

Detail of the antique copper patina in Brooklyn, New York.

New England Aquarium

December 30, 2016/in Exterior Architecture, Interior Architecture Museum, Renovation Boston--Massachusetts Schwartz/Silver Silver L 1996 /by cmorris

New England Aquarium in Boston

Founded in 1967, the New England Aquarium in Boston set a precedent for many future aquariums. Its urban waterfront setting served as a tourist destination, while providing an educational resource to its community and region. The original building was designed by Cambridge Seven, providing site planning, architecture, exhibit design, and all interior design for the original New England Aquarium building.

In 1996, Zahner worked for Schwartz/Silver Architects to provide the building’s new western wing. The glass and steel addition includes the harbor seal exhibit on the public plaza, ticketing booth, changing exhibit galleries, gift shop, cafe, and lobby. Zahner provided custom stainless steel “fishscale” metal panels using custom wheel finish.

The new facility is a distinct addition to the old concrete building, celebrating its harbor-side location with stainless steel and glass additions. The shiny surfaces reference both the scales of sea creatures as well as moving water and its reflectivity.

Restoration: “That Profile”

December 30, 2016/in Art & Sculpture Museum, Public Art, Renovation, Restoration, Sculpture Los Angeles--California Martin Puryear L 1999 /by cmorris

Note: Contemporary metal materials are known for their inherent immutability. While a number of metals can withstand many decades, it is important to consider how these materials are fabricated and installed, such that environmental concerns, galvanic corrosion, alloy selection, and other factors are properly considered and understood.

The long-term preservation of metal art and architecture is at the forefront of the research by CEO L. William Zahner. Through his role as chairman at Metalabs and his ongoing research and publications, Mr. Zahner hopes to promote the resilience of both immutable and transformative metals throughout the disciplines of art, sculpture, and architecture.

Restoring Art: That Profile, by Martin Puryear

That Profile is a forty-five foot sculpture by American artist Martin Puryear. The artwork rises into the air above the Tram Arrival Plaza at The Getty Center in Los Angeles, California. Installed in 1999, the stainless steel and bronze sculpture began showing signs of deterioration after a short time, which led administrators at The Getty to seek an expert in metal restoration.

The Getty contacted L. William Zahner, an expert in the field of metal sciences, to run tests on That Profile and determine how to restore and protect it for the future. His analysis revealed that the stainless steel “nodes” or joints which connect the linear aspects of the sculpture had weakened in the California weather. Mr. Zahner developed a two-stage cleaning process with a chemical wash and electropolishing process to revive the original stainless steel finish and add strength to the nodes.

MARTIN PURYEAR, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA; GETTY MUSEUM OF ART STAINLESS STEEL, BRONZE; 45′ X 30′ X 12′ 1999.

That Profile by Martin Puryear. Stainless steel and bronze sculpture.

Corinthian Hall

December 30, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Historic, Renovation, Restoration Kansas City International Architects Atelier Green M 2006 /by cmorris

Corinthian Hall Canopy at Kansas City Museum

Originally constructed as a residence by lumber magnate R.A. Long in 1910, Corinthian Hall was donated to the Kansas City Museum Association in 1939 by Long’s two daughters. In 1948, the building was deeded to the City of Kansas City after museum funds were determined to be insufficient in maintaining the estate.

In 1996 International Architects Atelier was commissioned to conduct a restoration study and provide a preliminary cost estimate for restoration of the various estate buildings, including the main house, carriage house and stables, caretaker’s house, carpenter’s workshop, conservatory, pergola and limestone and wrought iron fence surrounding the three-acre estate.

Zahner was brought in to work on restoration of the Corinthian Hall canopy through MTS Contracting. The canopy restoration was part of a larger master plan for the historic restoration and adaptive renovation of Corinthian Hall into a mixed-use facility, incorporating elements of a traditional historic house-museum with modern elements.

Corinthian Hall historic restoration with replacement glass and patinated copper-alloy.

Corinthian Hall canopy at the Kansas City Museum.

Historic restoration of the Corinthian Hall porte cochère.

Historic restoration detail of the Corinthian Hall porte cochére.

Corinthian Hall’s beautifully elaborate cast bronze porté cochére canopy over the west porch was removed from its original mountings and transported to Zahner where the historic pieces were cleaned and restored with respect to its original design. Work included the re-creation of the deteriorated, original structural support system from stainless steel, re-casting and re-patination of several missing elements, and re-wiring of the original electrical service.

Using historic photographs for reference, fragments of the original glass were used to recreate the canopy glazing from a UV-stable, non-yellowing resin material, which replicates the appearance of the original glass while providing superior strength against breakage.

Corinthian Hall in 1912, showing the porte cochère on the building's west facade

Corinthian Hall porte cochère seen today.

Gaines Residence

December 26, 2016/in Exterior Architecture, Interior Architecture Renovation, Residential, Urban Design Columbia--Missouri J.E. Cundiff Black, Silver M 2001 /by cmorris

Gaines Residence in Columbia, Missouri

The Gaines Residence is a unique home design and renovation in Columbia Missouri which features Zahner metalwork throughout its interior and exterior. Designed by architect J.E. Cundiff, the residence uses two custom stainless steel surfaces: a hand-polished abrasive polish on stainless steel, and a black interference stainless steel with mirror polish. The mirror polish on the stainless steel is the highest polish available for stainless steel, a #9 polish.

Each of these custom surfaces are used sparingly and in alteration to provide elegant accents the the residence. Zahner was hired to provide each of these stainless steel fabricated elements, as well as the custom railing, tree grates, and interior metalwork and various metal scopes within the residence.

Rear porch of the Gaines Residence in Columbia, Missouri.

Black mirror interference stainless steel clads both the interior and exterior of the Gaines Residence

The residence is framed through stainless steel buttresses of each of thew two finishes. These views which frame the north and east profiles of the home.

The building started off as a renovation, but the design transformation was fairly radical. The living and dining rooms open up to the front terrace with redbud trees which rise through custom, stainless-steel tree grates.

“By the time we were done, there was one wall of the original main floor left… At first glance the structure appears to give a nod to Phillip Johnson, while experiencing the home suggests possibly more influence from Arthur C. Clarke,”
— Architect J.E. Cundiff discussing the Gaines Residence

Although technically a renovation, much of the original building was replaced. The project is majority new construction in innovative materials and custom fabrication. Expansive views of the surrounding forestry were created by using large glass, butt-glazed corners in many areas of the house.

Details of the Handrails for Gaines Residence

Custom tree gate planter for the tree surrounds at Gaines Residence

Architect's drawings of the Gaines Residence show north and east elevation

Detail of the custom guardrails for Gaines Residence

Custom metal and glass table for the Gaines Residence

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.

Zahner Headquarters

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Parking Structure, Renovation Kansas City Crawford Architects L. William Zahner Silver M 2011 /by cmorris

The North Dock Expansion at the Zahner Campus

Designed by Crawford Architects, the Zahner Headquarters façade features undulating ZEPPS assemblies. ZEPPS, the Zahner process used to create custom curving surfaces, are used in projects around the world. Typically, ZEPPS assemblies consist of structural aluminum fins and ribs which are then clad in stainless steel, zinc, or any other building skin material.

The design of the Zahner Headquarters, however, was inspired from examining the ZEPPS understructure; the assemblies were intentionally left exposed, revealing the beauty of the engineering behind what is usually covered over. Zahner engineered and produced the exterior façade, naming it ‘Cloud Wall,’ and subsequently developed an app for designers to easily create similar custom façade iterations online.

The billowing curtain wall features glass inset between each fin. Part of the Inverted Seam system, Zahner developed a patented Drop & Lock method for engineering and installing panelized dry-set glass. Installation is quick and easy via male and female connections.

With a nearly 40-foot high ceiling 10,000-square feet of added space, the expansion allows Union Sheet Metal Workers to easily fabricate large-scale ZEPPS and other assemblies.

A crane is used to hoist each panel into place.

Zahner Installers install the glass panels.

Zahner Headquarters viewed from the North.

Zahner Headquarters viewed from the East.

Photograph of the Cloud Wall during construction.

Zahner employees have a safety lunch in the shop prior to the Cloudwall Installation.

Photograph of the shop interior during the production of MIC.

Learn more about the Zahner Headquarters Expansion

Green Building & Design Magazine Crawford Architects June 2012.
Architect Magazine Zahner Cloud Wall September 2011.
Archdaily Zahner Factory Expansion September 2011.
Zahner Product: GlassFin™ Curtainwall
Zahner Product: Drop & Lock™ Metal Panel Systems

The William T. Kemper Painting Studios

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Education, Renovation Kansas City Gastinger Walker Harden Black, Gold, Grey M 2006 /by cmorris

William T. Kemper Painting Studios

The 34,000 square foot William T. Kemper Painting Studios is a renovation to the existing building used by the painting department at KCAI for over thirty years.

The new building was designed by Gastinger Walker Harden, features unique patterning and rich customizations throughout the project. Diamond-shaped preweathered grey zinc panels adorn the building’s south elevation. A utility fence, perforated and undulated, wraps the crown of the building. Over the building’s north entrance, a custom embossed indentation provides a historic technique to achieve a modern aesthetic.

The building is clad in a variety of metal surfaces developed by Zahner — copper, zinc, and aluminum adorn the building in near equal parts. The copper was installed as a raw “red” sheet with the intention that it would weather over time and eventually become green. This process will take 10 to 20 years typically.

In addition to using prestige metals these custom surface adjustments are designed to smoothly transition around edges. The copper facade has a creased hatch edge emboss which continues parametrically, even where it breaks for gaps in various slots and windows. To achieve this parametric quality, the entire building’s facade was digitally defined. This enabled Zahner engineers to control corners, wrapping the custom emboss patterns around corners and under the soffits. Each piece of metal has its designated destination before it’s even manufactured. The building is also clad in a preweathered zinc facade. These diamond-shaped panels are fabricated with a custom recessed flat-seam system.

Corner detail of the zinc facade on the Dodge Painting Building at KCAI

South elevation of the dodge building's preweathered zinc facade

East elevation of the Dodge Building's copper facade, shortly after installation

Shafran Planetarium

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture, Interior Architecture Museum, Renovation Cleveland--Ohio Westlake Reed Leskosky Rose L 2002 /by cmorris

NATHAN AND FANNYE SHAFRAN PLANETARIUM, CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

The Nathan and Fannye Shafran Planetarium in Cleveland, Ohio was designed by architectural engineering firm Westlake Reed Leskosky. Zahner covered the planetarium cone in a custom rose-colored titanium/stainless steel skin, the first outdoor use of the material in North America. Embedded within each panel, fiber-optic lights reference and reinforce the structure’s star-focused purpose.

Related Surface

Shafran Planetarium

Designing a uniquely functional exterior facade system

In addition to the functional aspects of housing the planetarium, the architects used the building’s design to create an ingenious educational opportunity. The building’s chamfered roof is pitched to 41.5 degrees, in direct alignment for visitors to follow the building lines into the sky to locate Polaris, the North Star.

The planetarium officially opened in 2002, and in doing so, set the bar for planetariums worldwide by blending advanced technology with real-world experiences.