Originally conceived of as a metal shed, the team worked to realize a cost effective and easy-to-construct solution, which embodies the spirit of the client’s true passion: steel fabrication.
The project is a long 2-story bar of 8432 SF. The bar lines the south side of the existing fabrication building and is defined by a floating Corten steel bar over cement plaster wall panels and full height butt-jointed glass panels.
The design is comprised of using raw building material assemblies, which engage each other, but also function in specific ways to define the use while enhancing the user experience. A sand blasted CMU wall revealing the aggregate of the block provides a subdued datum against which the bar can rest. The west end of the corten bar acts as both a brise-soleil for the conference room’s southwest facing glass.
The finishes are simple, reflecting the raw nature of the iron trade while blending seamlessly into the materials of the site. The relatively small size of the project also meant we could capitalize on revealing the efforts of the workers who not only work at the iron works, but also fabricated and erected the steel for the building in less than 2 days. All structural steel, handrails and guardrails, fabricated by the client’s iron workers, are left exposed with markings illustrating the fabrication process.
This project capped a 40-year relationship between the architect and client, as the architect’s CEO was the original production architect on the office building completed in 1976.
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