Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (MAMF) was designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando as a new building for the city’s growing collection of contemporary art. Zahner provided its custom aluminum facade.

The new museum contains over 2,600 works of art, with a wide range of work by artists such as Chuck Close, Anselm Kiefer, Gerhard Richter, Richard Serra, Andres Serrano, Cindy Sherman, and Andy Warhol. The Museum is located adjacent to the Kimbell Art Museum, designed by Louis I. Kahn, and near the Amon Carter Museum, designed by Philip Johnson. The previous location for the MAMF collection was housed in a small, nondescript building nearby.

Zahner was responsible for engineering, fabricating, and installing the aluminum facade. Heavy plates of aluminum are a signature element in Tadao Ando’s architecture, and the surface is used throughout the building.

The facade design uses Zahner’s patented Inverted Seam wall panel system, serving as a pressure-equalized rainscreen. The natural aluminum surface was bead-blasted and clear anodized in a custom finish. The aluminum panels were specially cast to achieve a highly consistent anodized finish. The 5mm thick plates are 5ft in width and as long as 25ft in length.

Custom metal details where aluminum wall panels meet concrete slab
Photo © A. Zahner Company