White | Zahner

Spencer Art Museum

University of Kansas Spencer Art Museum Renovation

Custom raw zinc plate planters were designed and fabricated by Zahner for the renovation of the Spencer Museum as part of the new landscape for the building. New donor plaques were also engraved for the Museum.

In 2010, the Spencer Museum partnered with architectural firm Pei Cobb Freed & Partners to develop a master renovation and expansion plan for its spaces. In April 2015, the Museum closed to the public for renovation. This 16-month project addressed the first part of the master plan and marked the first major renovation since the building’s opening.

Zahner was brought into the project by the Museum to provide landscape design. The company developed a design for the planters, and fabricated and delivered the zinc plate system. The zinc plates develop a white oxide layer, and will continue to weather and patina into a subtle grey-green over the years.

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

1 3 5 7 9 11

December 14, 2016/in Art & Sculpture Public Art, Sculpture Kansas City Sol LeWitt White M 1994 /by cmorris

Sol Lewitt sculpture, 1 3 5 7 9 11

The Sol LeWitt sculpture 1 3 5 7 9 11 is a commission by the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art which was engineered and manufactured by Zahner in Kansas City. The artwork is a painted aluminum form which measures 16′ x 8′ x 8′ and was fabricated in 1996. The artist conceived of the work in 1994.

Zahner engineered and fabricated an interlocking system where each corner connects seamlessly. Instead of requiring a weld at the joint’s seam, the pieces are connected with an interior locking mechanism.

Related Project

One Sun / 34 Moons

In addition to the architectural features, a large scale site-specific artwork by Walter de Maria was commissioned by the Museum. Zahner was brought on as fabricator for the installation by the famed land artist. The work, entitled One Sun / 34 Moons, is made up of thirty-four 'Moons' which are realized as illuminated glass fixtures scattered throughout the installation.

1 3 5 7 9 11 at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri.

Process photo during the art fabrication at Zahner in Kansas City.

1 3 5 7 9 11 at the Nelson-Atkins Museum.

Detail of the aluminum joint prior to painting during the art fabrication process.

Above, a detail of the seamless engineered connection, a result of careful engineering and high-quality craftsmanship. This is the last sculpture of its kind fabricated during the artist’s lifetime.

DeBruce Center: Rules of Basketball

November 3, 2016/in Exterior Architecture, Interior Architecture Education, Museum, Parking Structure Lawrence--Kansas Gould Evans Associates Silver, White L 2016 /by cmorris

DeBruce Center and the KU Rules of Basketball

DeBruce Center is a Gould Evans-designed building featuring Zahner engineered metal systems throughout its interior and exterior. Zahner completed multiple scopes on the project, including the exterior and interior panels of bridge that connects to Allen Fieldhouse, guardrails, and the perforated scrim walls which enclose its adjoining parking structure.

The building complex was developed around a single piece of basketball history. The original Rules of Basketball, written in 1891 by James Naismith (the inventor of basketball and founder of the KU basketball program) were purchased and donated to the school, and have found their permanent home at DeBruce Center, a new facility adjoining the northeast corner of Allen Fieldhouse at KU.

The existing Allen Fieldhouse building at KU is now connected by a bridge to the Debruce Center. This connects the new exhibit and visitor center to historical Allen Fieldhouse, where the KU basketball team regularly plays their local games. This connection helps to physically explain the history of KU’s sports program. James Naismith (the ‘father’ of basketball) and Forrest “Phog” Allen (the ‘father’ of basketball coaching) each had an integral role in building this legacy. By physically connecting the two spaces, the designers at Gould Evans have built a literal link between the past and future of basketball at KU.

The bridge, which connects the DeBruce Center and Parking Garage to the Allen Fieldhouse.

Creating the Exterior Bridge at DeBruce Center

The Zahner team was tasked with creating large cut-out aluminum panels bearing the original rules for the game of basketball. The interior panels also contain a direct screenprint of text on aluminum, which maps out the visage of Naismith and Phog Allen.

The aluminum panels for the exterior bridge were milled from 3/8” aluminum, at a panel size of 6’ x 18’. Panels of this scale provide a unique challenge. Zahner both coordinated with the structural team to ensure that the plate attachment system was properly detailed out in order to take on such heavy loads (the panels weigh around 500 pounds each).

Zahner milled the complete text from the Rules of Basketball, cutting stenciled text into each of the panels. The panels are backlit at night by LED lights that were installed by the lighting designer. During the day, the Angel Hair finish applied to the panels disperses sunlight and softens the natural reflectivity of the aluminum.

The Allen Fieldhouse (left) is connected to the DeBruce Center via an aluminum clad pedestrian bridge.

Milling and Etching Interior Metal Wall Panels to Tell a Story.

The interior bridge continues the exterior bridge’s aesthetic of text milled out from Angel Hair aluminum, and also adds an additional silkscreened visual element. Rather than the rules of basketball, the milled aluminum panels on the east wall contain quotes from both Naismith and Phog Allen. Because these panels are interior and don’t have windloads to contend with, the designers were able to go with a thinner sheet, at 3/16” x 5’ x 10’ each.

The adjacent west wall contains direct screenprinted text on aluminum. This text utilizes a similar visual trope to ZIRA in that it uses letterforms to map out the image of Naismith and Phog Allen, drawing yet another visual parallel between these founding fathers and the legacy of basketball at KU.

Interior Aluminum Plate Guardrails and Staircase Ramps

Zahner also completed a series of interior guardrails from 5/8” aluminum, in an Angel Hair finish to match the surrounding walls. These were made from solid plates connected only at the floor level, stairs, and ramp.

To achieve a uniform planar surface with minimal fasteners, custom connections were developed by Zahner engineers to create the massive guardrails which wind up and down the interior of DeBruce Center.

Using ImageWall to generate Perforated Imagery on Metal

The final piece of Zahner’s scope on DeBruce Center was a custom ZIRA perforated image of wheat, comprising around 7,250 square feet of space. At 243 total 3’ x 10’ 16ga panels, this was our largest scope item and required coordination with multiple trades, such as existing site and new steel. The engineers and fabricators at Zahner provided a system for drop and lock attachment that allowed for a smooth installation.

The perforations cross between panels, allowing imagery to continue seamlessly across the wall, without the distraction of edges. This was achieved by examining the pattern’s parametric relationship of visual elements to the larger surface. The resulting image emulates a field of wheat, hearkening back to symbols of Kansas, and the history of KU.

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.

St. Teresa’s Lace

August 15, 2016/in Art & Sculpture, Exterior Architecture Education Kansas City Gould Evans Associates White M 2011 /by cmorris

Windmoor Center and Chapel of St. Joseph St. Teresa’s Academy

Designed by Gould Evans and Associates, The Windmoor Center and Chapel of St. Joseph at St. Teresa’s Academy is a 10,000-square-foot building that houses four high-tech classrooms that transform into a single event space for banquets and the new 150-seat chapel.

The building’s distinctive facade shrouds the outside of the structure and evokes the school’s namesake, St. Teresa, the patron saint of Lacemakers. The building serves as the gateway to the campus. A survey of students and faculty identified a need for a contemplative space with natural light.

Related Project

Church of the Resurrection

PHOTO © A. ZAHNER COMPANY. Founded in 1990, the Church of the Resurrection has grown into the largest United Methodist Church in the U.S. with 18,000 members. Seeking to expand and remodel its existing facility on a 76-acre site, the church is adding an acoustically versatile sanctuary seating 3,500 and converting the existing auditorium into a multi-purpose room.

Zahner was brought in early in the planning process for the new building. Gould Evans hired Zahner to design-engineer and build the facade, working through a Design Assist phase to develop the unique screen wall system.

Lace patterns cut into plate aluminum and rolled for the curving facade at St. Teresa's Academy.

Water-jet cut aluminum plates with lace-pattern.

Windmoor Chapel at St. Teresa's Academy.

Detail, aluminum plates with lace-pattern.

Perforated metal with curved form rolled and fabricated by Zahner.

Students and faculty from St. Teresa's preview the mockup at Zahner.

Windmoor Center at St. Teresa's Academy.

Patio de las Jacarandas

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture, Landscape Architecture Pergola, Public Art Aguascalientes--Mexico, Central Mexico, Mexico Arturo Revilla and Jose Luis Jimenez Garcia, Hendrix + Studio Jan Hendrix White L /by cmorris

Patio de las Jacarandas at Aguascalientes, Mexico

Patio de Las Jacarandas is a Jan Hendrix and Hendrix Studio-designed work of public art in Aguascalientes, Mexico. The project’s metal canopy was developed and fabricated by Zahner in water-jet cut aluminum.

Situated at the historic Plaza de la Patria in Aguascalientes, the Patio de las Jacarandas is an architectural open-air canopy. Arturo Revilla and Jose Luis Jimenez Garcia served as the project’s architects, while Zahner’s scope on the project centered around the engineering and fabrication of the art canopy.

The system was engineered and tested by Zahner, and then manufactured and delivered to the jobsite where local installers erected the screen wall. The project was completed in 2015, and features a two-tiered canopy of water jet-cut aluminum plates. Both layers of cut-out metal are painted to create the white ¼” aluminum plate.

The Patio de las Jacarandas provides a place to gather in Aguascalientes.

The Jan Hendrix canopy mirrors the surrounding plant life at Aguascalientes.

Overhead view of the Aguascalientes project.

Canopy Filtered Shading with Diaphanous Light

Two layers of waterjet cut artwork make up the roof of the Aguascalientes canopy. The first layer, suspended on the bottom of the canopy, shows the overlapping branches of the jacaranda tree. The second layer of cutout leaves is installed 16” above the lower ceiling canopy.

These two layers are held apart from one another using tension cables. The distance between each layer gives the illusion of peering through tree branches. Intriguing shadows are also created, offering an immersive, shaded area for pedestrians in the city square to rest beneath.

The canopy’s two layers are designed to evoke the jacaranda tree at different seasons of the year. This motif was selected by the artist due to its prevalence in Aguascalientes. Numerous jacarandas are planted in parks and public areas across the City of Aguascalientes as well as throughout central Mexico. Their blooms are heralded as a symbol of the beginning of the spring season, blooming in February.

Patio de las Jacarandas in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

Creating the Cut Plate Material

To accommodate the intricate lines, the artwork is fairly thin in some areas, ¼” aluminum plate was used to water jet-cut the desired pattern. Using plate material gives extra support for artwork, and keeps delicate lines from bending or becoming misshapen as the public interacts with the art.

Jan Hendrix supplied Zahner with models, sketches, and finished drawings of the artwork. Zahner team of design engineers translated the artwork into files for manufacturing and cutting the metal shapes out of the aluminum plate. After the cutting process was completed, the panels and structural components were painted white and sent to the job site in Mexico for installation.

Zahner fabricators pre-assemble the Hendrix-designed canopy in Kansas City.

Jan Hendrix model for the Patio de las Jacarandas canopy.

Unique Column Design for Patio de Las Jacarandas

At the north end of the patio canopy, Jan Hendrix’s design extends down from the upper canopy into the gathering space, in the form of a perforated column. Although the surface appears as though it encases a structural support, the column is hollow with no enclosed structural support.

While the canopy depicts the leaves and branches of the jacaranda tree, the column shows the profile of their famous blooms. In this manner, the patio shows the entire lifespan for the blooms of the jacaranda through all four seasons.

This concept is further reinforced by the planting of several new jacaranda trees at the center of the patio. Throughout the years as the Patio de las Jacarandas sees further community interaction, the trees will continue to grow new blossoms each spring, creating a more impressive show each year.

At the northern corner of the project, a plate aluminum column cuts through the canopy.

Related System

Custom Column Covering Systems

Custom column cover systems provide decorative and functional aspects to both interior and exterior architectural design. Column cover manufacturing has been a mainstay of A. Zahner Company's production for several decades, producing both custom and standard systems for designers all over the world.

The column system was assembled in three separate panels, which align together with such precision that the seams become nearly invisible. Panels on the upper canopy also translate the design without the visual appearance of seams.

To create this seamless look, Zahner examines the pattern’s parametric relationship, mapping out individual elements as they relate to the entire design. This way, lines and patterns can cross between various panels without being interrupted by ‘picture frame’ edges. This technology is used across the entire project, so that the construction methods do not become distracting to the artist’s design.

Opening gala event for the Patio de las Jacarandas in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

Opening Ceremony for the Patio de las Jacarandas

The opening ceremony took place during the Summer of 2015, and was attended by The Governor of Aguascalientes, Carlos Lozano de la Torre and his wife Blanca Rivera Rio Flores. The two were influential in bringing the project to the State of Aguascalientes.

Jan Hendrix, pictured with Governor Carlos Lozano de la Torre and his wife Blanca Rivera Rio Flores at the opening.

Sunlight filters through the Jan Hendrix-designed canopy at Aguascalientes.

Ground level fountain accents the canopy design at Aguascalientes.

Perforated metal canopy casts shadows at Aguascalientes, Mexico.

Patio de las Jacarandas, Aguascalientes, Mexico.

After the project was completed, Jan Hendrix was honored at the opening ceremony at the Patio de las Jacarandas. As an artist of renown who has moved into the architectural world, Hendrix has translated his works on paper into physical manifestations for communities all over the world.

Zahner has completed over a dozen works for Jan Hendrix, which are located in city centers and private collections around the globe.

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.

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.

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.

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

MoPop Museum

August 15, 2016/in Exterior Architecture Museum Seattle--Washington Frank Gehry Partners, LMN Architects Gold, Light blue, Red, Silver, Violet, White XL 2000 /by cmorris

Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP)

Jimi Hendrix inspired the name, Frank Gehry designed the project, and Zahner produced the stunning curvilinear forms and structure. Residing in the shadow of the Seattle Space Needle, the Experience Music Project (now the Museum of Pop Culture, or MoPOP) was completed in 2000.

Gehry’s unique design required a creative approach to engineering and fabrication. The Museum was one of the first projects to use ZEPPS, the Zahner technology for producing curvilinear and complex structures. The process resulted in 3,300 unique structural assemblies clad in 21,000 metal sheets — for a total surface area of more than 140,000 square feet of curving metal. No two sheets and no two panel assemblies are the same.

Surface techniques are similarly varied, and include Angel Hair stainless steel, red interference-coated stainless steel and fluorocarbon-coated aluminum.

“

The most complex exterior skin ever devised for a building.

Civil Engineering MagazineSteve M. Huey.

Constructing the Building Envelope

Working with Gehry’s design, the Zahner team developed a process for reducing curves into large, pre-fabricated assemblies which could then be easily shipped and rapidly installed. Thus, the Zahner Engineered Profiled Panel System (ZEPPS) came into being.

At its core, the ZEPPS process consists of an aluminum support structure, clad in a layer of sheet metal. A final metal layer (of the designer’s selection) completes the assembly and is usually installed onsite. The ZEPPS process efficiently produces complex forms with minimal waste, reducing a building’s ecological footprint.

Since the EMP Museum’s completion, the ZEPPS system has undergone several iterations, growing more powerful, accurate, and refined. The process continues to be the preferred method for manufacturing sculptural form.