Alcoa Kawneer Products Featured on Award Winning Art Gallery of Alberta |
ALCOA, Inc.
ALCOA Bldg., 201 Isabella St.
Pittsburgh, PA, 15212
USA
Press release date: September 13, 2011
NEW YORK - A range of architectural aluminum products from Alcoa's (NYSE: AA) Kawneer business were used in the design and construction of the new Art Gallery of Alberta, Canada, recently recognized by Metal Architecture with the Grand Award in its 2011 Metal Architecture Design Awards.
Kawneer curtain wall, entrances, skylight and framing systems are featured on the 84,000-square-foot building to help create the dramatic design that is now an "iconic structure." To allow visitors and passersby to see activities inside the atrium, a wide expanse of specialized Kawneer curtain wall was used on both the interior and exterior of the building.
The Gallery, located in the heart of the Art District in downtown Edmonton, was commissioned to be a cultural and artistic representation of the museum's significance. One of its most prominent features is a complex, curved stainless steel ribbon that references the forms of the North Saskatchewan River and Aurora Borealis, or The Northern Lights. The ribbon, which is juxtaposed with angular windows and curtain wall, extends throughout the building's interior atrium and then erupts outdoors wrapping around the exterior.
While incorporating 37,000 square feet of the museum's old facility, a concrete structure from the late 1960s, the new portions of the design used no straight angles, and provided a challenge for both design and installation.
"The complexity of the design, with sloped curtain walls and the intersecting skylights, required a great deal of coordination from every participant on the project at every phase," said Wayne Brandt, Western Canada Regional Sales Manager, Kawneer North America.
Acheson, Alberta-based Flynn Canada served as the project installer. Charles World, Business Development Manager for Flynn, said: "Working on such a complex design with no room for error, we knew that Kawneer's products and team would help us keep on schedule without sacrificing any of the end result."
To address the extreme weather patterns in Edmonton high performance glazing was used throughout the Art Gallery. Kawneer's 2000 Skylight was double glazed for increased thermal performance and its Trifab® VG (VersaGlaze®) 450 framing system offered the versatility required for the complex design. In addition, the company's 350 Standard Entrances offered improved durability and enhanced aesthetics.
After almost three years of construction, the art gallery opened to the public in January 2010.
In addition to the recent award from Metal Architecture, the Art Gallery of Alberta has received numerous awards and recognition, including the Metal Construction Association 2010 President's Award for Overall Excellence, Alberta Construction Magazine "Institution" Category, the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction (CISC) Alberta 2011 Architectural Award and more.
The concept for the $86 million dollar project was the result of an international competition to find the final design. Randall Stout, FAIA, of Randall Stout Architects, Inc. of Los Angeles, California, contributed the winning geometric design and was selected to complete the drawings, along with local HIP Architects of Edmonton.
To learn more about Kawneer and its range of products, please visit www.kawneer.com.
About Alcoa
Alcoa is the world's leading producer of primary and fabricated aluminum, as well as the world's largest miner of bauxite and refiner of alumina. In addition to inventing the modern-day aluminum industry, Alcoa innovation has been behind major milestones in the aerospace, automotive, packaging, building and construction, commercial transportation, consumer electronics and industrial markets over the past 120 years. Among the solutions Alcoa markets are flat-rolled products, hard alloy extrusions, and forgings, as well as Alcoa® wheels, fastening systems, precision and investment castings, and building systems in addition to its expertise in other light metals such as titanium and nickel-based super alloys. Sustainability is an integral part of Alcoa's operating practices and the product design and engineering it provides to customers. Alcoa has been a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for nine consecutive years and approximately 75 percent of all of the aluminum ever produced since 1888 is still in active use today. Alcoa employs approximately 59,000 people in 31 countries across the world. More information can be found at www.alcoa.com.
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