Industrial Products, Architectural Applications:
Hendrick embraces – and fuels – an emerging trend
Scott Beeler,
Posted
12/08/2010
Over the past few years, a growing number of
architects have turned their creativity and vision toward
traditionally industrial materials, such as perforated metal and
profile wire.
For an increasing number of prominent projects, perforated metal
and profile wire have been bent, rolled, curved and otherwise
re-imagined in dazzling applications that blend form and function -
customized signage in City Center Las Vegas, innovative public art
near Vancouver's Olympic Village and dozens of additional
projects.
The transformation of perforated
metal and profile wire from an industrial staple into a tool for
the architect's creativity has, in turn, led to the creation and
rapid growth of Carbondale, Penn.-based Hendrick
Architectural Products, an affiliate of the Hendrick family of
companies, founded in 1876.
Until several years ago, the Hendrick companies focused on
manufacturing perforated metal, screens and other metal products
for industrial applications: mining, automotive, HVAC, intake
screens and many others.
Today, Hendrick Architectural
Products has helped bring dozens of high-profile projects to
fruition, enjoying phenomenal growth during its six-year history.
The company enables architects to take full advantage of the
decorative and structural properties of products from Hendrick
Manufacturing, Hendrick Screen Company and Hendrick Metal Products
- products once manufactured primarily for industrial use.
In fact, the story of Hendrick Architectural Products illustrates
how one innovative company can both capitalize on an emerging trend
― the use of industrial metal in architectural designs ― and, at
the same time, fuel that trend by offering cutting-edge technology
and building a highly trained, highly specialized staff.
Discovering - and serving - an architectural niche
About 10 years ago, Hendrick Screen
began providing stainless steel grating and floor mats through a
European partner. When the company's leadership travelled to Europe
to review applications of the company's products, they were amazed
by the resourceful designs of European architects, who had made
ingenious use of what had been commonly used industrial
materials.
"The marriage of the industrial and traditional had been an
ongoing evolution in Europe," said Mike D. Drake, CEO of Hendrick
Manufacturing. "We knew American architects would quickly bring
their own artistic brush to this phenomenon."
As the company predicted, architects on this side of the Atlantic
began to develop inventive applications for perforated metal,
profile wire and other industrial materials. Through its experience
in Europe, Hendrick had learned what capabilities were important to
forward-thinking architects. The company acquired new manufacturing
equipment and hired architectural and fabricating professionals to
expand its service offerings.
By 2004, the company's perforating and screen division was
experiencing a rapid increase in the number of requests for
perforated metal and profile wire for uses in cladding, infill
panels, decorated walls, ceiling panels and ventilating grilles and
grates.
That division, rebranded as Hendrick Architectural Products, has
continued to add equipment and human resources, enabling Hendrick
to keep pace with increasingly innovative designs crafted by
architects and manage annual growth of 10 to 20 percent.
Unique qualities, endless possibilities
Perforated metal and
profile wire offer significant structural and aesthetic advantages
- advantages that architects have used to create new forms that
blend function with art.
Perforated and screen designs reduce the weight of metal, enabling
a developer to select a material that retains its inherent
strength, offers superior durability and results in a
low-maintenance structure. These traditionally industrial metals
also provide architects with a means for controlling visibility,
sound and the flow of air. And, with the current emphasis on
sustainability, many metal panels use recycled content - and can be
recycled at end of a structure's lifecycle.
Over the past several years, architects and designers have
explored the myriad of aesthetic properties of perforated metal and
profile wire ― materials that can be easily rolled, manipulated and
customized. Designers can specify the size of the wire or the
pattern of perforations - customization that can create a complex
interplay of light that changes throughout the day.
"The potential applications for perforated metal and profile wire
are virtually endless," said Drake.
In fact, according to Drake, during the past several years,
architects have engaged in a vigorous exploration of the structural
and aesthetic potential of perforated metal and profile wire. For
example, architect Anik Jhaveri created an unorthodox feature wall
design for the United Unions Inc., Building in Washington, D.C.,
that blends layers of perforated metal, corrugated perforated metal
and glass.
Antonio Branch, a designer on the project who was with
architecture firm Mancini Duffy Winstanley at the time, said he was
"profoundly impressed by the audacious and radical concept."
To realize that design, Branch had to identify a company that
could not only supply the quantities of metals needed, but also
provide adequate lead times for the fabricator. He believes the
selection of Hendrick Architectural Products was crucial to the
project's success. Branch said the company provided
experience and technical capability, but also offered service that
propelled the project forward.
"I've never done business with a more responsive company," Branch
said. "They gave us every sample we requested and provided extras.
This generosity allowed us to build mock-ups big enough to be
studied by the architectural/design team and ultimately approved by
the client."
Strategic Growth
Because of its early involvement with and continuous service to
architects, Hendrick Architectural Products has grown
strategically, adding services and capabilities to meet needs that
the company understands well.
Since it became a distinct entity, Hendrick Architectural Products
has invested in equipment and human resources every year, carefully
assembling a team of associates specially trained in metal
architectural applications. This focus enables Hendrick
Architectural Products to provide guidance on which products and
processes will best achieve a particular appearance or
performance.
In addition, the company has invested aggressively in
state-of-the-art laser technology and engineering software. The
focus on continuous resource development enables Hendrick to
fabricate even the most unusual projects, assist with engineering
and design, and offer guidance based on experience.
"The value we provide often comes in the form of problem-solving
and customization," Drake said.
In fact, the company has now worked on hundreds of high-profile
projects all across the United States ― projects of increasing
diversity and complexity that have enabled Hendrick to expand its
repertoire of capabilities.
To capture interest from the marketplace and to better reflect its
capabilities, the company recently developed a new brand and
tagline ― "Cutting Edge Metal Solutions" ― that distills its value
for prospective clients.
In the coming years, architects will continue pushing the design
boundaries of traditionally industrial materials. Drake believes
that, because of how Hendrick Architectural Products evolved, the
company remains ideally positioned to service what he calls a
gigantic market.
For more information about Hendrick Architectural Products, visit
www.hendrickarchproducts.com.
The Many Uses of Perforated Metals
City Center, Las Vegas
Modern signage
CityCenter, the ambitious Las Vegas "city within a city" that
covers 67 acres, has been hailed as "transformative" and
"revolutionary." In fact, visitors to CityCenter are greeted by
signage that reflects a revolution of sorts - the emergence of
phenomenally creative ways that architects are reimagining
industrial metals. For this aesthetically complex structure,
designed by the architecture firm Gensler, Hendrick Screen rolled
its Profile Bar Wire ― a proprietary product designed for superior
strength ― into columns, ultimately supplying 16,000-square-feet of
material.
United Union Building, Washington, D.C.
Feature wall and staircase
The layered, two-story design of this feature wall showcases
perforated metals in an unorthodox way. The first layer includes
perforations in three different sizes, while a second layer of
corrugated perforated metal uses 1/2-inch diameter holes. The third
layer of material is wall mounted glass, which increases the visual
depth of the assembly. "The combination of various colored die-cut
metals and exquisite attention to detail create an ever-changing
moiré effect," said architect Anik Jhaveri. He said the design is
meant to remind visitors of the workmanship of the trades that
achieves the level of art ― a fitting concept for the building's
occupant.
False Creek Energy Centre, Vancouver, B.C.
Smokestack screens as public art
Walter Francl Architecture incorporated Hendrick perforated metal
into the design of five finger-like emissions stacks at the False
Creek Energy Centre - a project now considered a "public art
entity" that embodies the blend of industrial and
architectural. The "fingernails" of Hendrick perforated metal
help shield the smokestacks from Vancouver's Olympic Village. But
the perforated metal also serves to diffuse light from LED
luminaries ― lights that change color relative to the heat output
of the plant. This feature gives the stacks a human quality,
reflecting the fact that heat is being transferred from one
individual to another.
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Va.
Architect Rick Mather made liberal use of Hendrick Profile Bar and
V-wire in his highly acclaimed addition to the Virginia Museum of
Fine Arts. Mather used Hendrick Screen products in applications
like ventilation grilles and exterior soffits, but also fashioned
Profile into decorative screening along a staircase. This
architectural application, which rises to 17 feet at its apex,
covers a lighted back wall to create a dynamic effect.