ZINCsense

BON COURAGE: Yesterday the team at VMZINC officially said,...

Fri, 25 May 2012 10:46:07 -0400

BON COURAGE: Yesterday the team at VMZINC officially said, “Au Revoir” to our French colleague, Laurent Heindryckx. Laurent has been in the states for around 12 years and was here when the doors officially opened on our US office.

Over the years, Laurent has performed many functions within VMZINC, has suffered through storms, celebrated the moments of sunshine, and has kept his irrepressible calm largely intact -when lesser souls have completely and utterly blown their respective cool. To say that he will be missed is an understatement.

The good news is that he will still be a part of the VMZINC family, only now he will be located in Paris, France. We are still trying to figure out why a Frenchman would want to return to the country of his birth to live and raise his family. Hmm? Strange.

To Laurent we wish, “Bon Courage” and all of our best. Laurent will be leaving the good old U.S. of A at the end of this month.

At the same time, one of our Territory Manager’s, Bryan Ninneman, will be relocating to Phoenix, AZ and opening an office for the mother ship down the road from Uncle Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter home, studio, and school.

Bryan has been in Raleigh for about six years and is looking forward to the opportunity to plow new ground in the Southwest.

Bryan started with VMZINC eight or so years ago as a part-time draftsman. Over the years, he left VM, came back, did project management and has since been promoted to Territory Manager. We won’t miss Bryan, per se, because we will see him often and talk to him almost daily, but we will miss his good nature and humor in the Raleigh office on a daily basis.

Bryan will be departing for the cool winds and temperate climate of Phoenix on July 1st. We wish him much air conditioning and a sane journey with his two year old on the trip from Raleigh to Phoenix.

So, what do you do when two key players are about to leave the nest. Well, first you have an office wide lunch and invite other Umicore businesses to partake in a little Southern food and hospitality. In this case, BBQ pork, slaw, etc. (Hopefully with defib on site. CLEAR!)

Then, later in the evening, we went to a Raleigh favorite: Fat Daddy’s for burgers (CLEAR!), drinks, and to school our French friend in the fine art of billards. Our fine French friend then schooled some of our team on the fine art of Foosball.

We had a good time, but parting is, as always, such sweet sorrow. We all need a little courage for the road ahead without some of our favorite people in the office.

Good luck and safe travels to both Laurent and Bryan. -VM

Eminem aside: Maybe you missed the statement by...

Thu, 24 May 2012 09:08:00 -0400

Eminem aside: Maybe you missed the statement by singer/songwriter/actor/8-miler Eminem, but he hates techno. Techno, prog, indy, rap, country, classical, metal -it is all music to someone. Just not Eminem. So what does this have to do with architecture? Or with California for that matter? (California???) Well, frozen music lovers, Moby, yes Moby, has a new architecture blog. So, Eminem aside, let’s take a look at this new entry into the blogosphere.

A decade or so ago, we remember being in certain studios and hearing tracks off of 18 wafting through the air. And, Moby has made a lot of music before and after that album. For some strange reason, that album sticks in our minds a decade or so later. Now instead of listening to the music, or in addition to it, we can read about Moby’s interest in Los Angeles architecture on his new blog: http://mobylosangelesarchitecture.com/

This is the guy who proved that one guy alone could make music. And, after making the music, sell it to millions of people worldwide. This is the guy who was part of an episode on a nationally syndicated sit-com: How I Met Your Mother. (Moby shares a limo with part of the cast on the way to a party.) And this is the guy who has restored Hollywood Hills houses. And now Moby is writing about Los Angeles Architecture?

Once the Moby-part of the equation sinks in, we suggest that you take some time, visit the blog and read through the entries. At the end of the day, this guy is not only an internationally known music artist, but he is also someone who loves architecture. It comes across in his writing, which is humorous, eclectic and sometimes esoteric. Here is one tidbit from Moby’s blog:

i can imagine the prison conversation:
‘hey what are you guys in for?’
guy 1 - ‘i was smuggling ar-15’s from turkmenistan to newark’.
guy 2 - ‘i blew up a bank in arkansas.’
guy 3 - ‘i ran 10 crystal meth labs in dominica’.
me - ‘i was taking pictures of mid century architecture in l.a’.

We think that many architecture fans can identify with the feelings behind this blurb, as well as the actions that resulted in imprisonment. Um… at least the architecture reference. (Hopefully not the gun/bank/meth references.) This blog, like his music itself, is fun, unexpected, and all over the board. Eminem aside (not that we don’t or can’t dig Eminem), we recommend it. Enjoy -VM

Day Three and Day Four: Friday and Saturday were great days for...

Mon, 21 May 2012 12:44:18 -0400

Day Three and Day Four:

Friday and Saturday were great days for us as well. The show was more than we had hoped for and a great opportunity for us to talk with new and old friends.

A number of very talented architects attended the show. Among them, were some of the more famous in the field and we did get a chance to have Daniel Libeskind (photo above) autograph one of his books. It may seem strange at first blush, however, at the end of the day, we are architecture fans. It was an honor to shake his hand.

On Friday night we held a small party at the convention center for anyone who wanted to attend. A three man band played jazz, we served light food & drinks, and everyone had a nice time.

We have to be honest and say that we thought Saturday would be more of a non-event than actual work. We are happy to say that we were wrong. We had quite a few people stopping by the VMZINC Lounge, talking, have a drink and relaxing.

Overall it was a great show and we look forward to next year in Denver! -VM

DAY TWO:(AIA National Convention in DC). Day Two brought about...

Fri, 18 May 2012 07:27:23 -0400

DAY TWO:(AIA National Convention in DC).

Day Two brought about the early morning finishing touches to the booth. Our team refined the concept, purchased the materials and put it all together at the show. The finishing touches on Day Two (the first actual day of the Expo) were completed by the dynamic duo of Chandra Hester and Gary Engle -who had worked tirelessly through most of the night before to get the booth in tip-top shape.

So, how did it go over? The first real day of the trade Expo at the Convention (our Day Two), brought more than double the attendees that we saw the previous year in New Orleans. In other words, one day with the new VMZINC “Lounge” was more successful than the full show last year in NOLA. We dig NOLA, but how cool is this?

If you are attending the show, stop by booth # 329, put your feet up after walking all over the beautiful Convention Center, have a refreshment or two and charge your phone. Oh, and don’t forget to look at the stunning zinc projects that surround you on our flat screen TVs. Enjoy -VM.

How Nice was the interior of the Library of Congress/Thomas...

Thu, 17 May 2012 08:00:45 -0400

How Nice was the interior of the Library of Congress/Thomas Jefferson Building?

Um… Very nice!

Continuing from our earlier post; this is one amazing interior and highly recommended. Do yourself a favor the next time that you are in DC, and go.

Enjoy. -VM

DC Arrival We arrived in DC after the short car ride (5 hours)...

Thu, 17 May 2012 07:49:29 -0400

DC Arrival

We arrived in DC after the short car ride (5 hours) from Raleigh. By the time we arrived, our battle hardened booth deployment squad had already set up the VMZINC Lounge (Booth # 329 at the show) and were off replenishing their batteries, taking sustenance, and dreaming of a show filled with laughter, friends and new acquaintances.

The rest of our team took in the Hanley Wood Party at the Thomas Jefferson Building/Library of Congress. This is one of the more amazing interiors in DC and we highly recommend that you check it out the next time you are in the neighborhood. (Number Ten -First Street Southeast.) As we left the party, we were greeted by a beautiful monument-filled night sky.

We will continue to update from the show and invite all who are attending to stop by the booth for a little R & R. -Vm

Kennedy Town Pool is "Framous!"

Wed, 09 May 2012 09:12:00 -0400

Kennedy Town Pool is "Framous!":

The Kennedy Town Pool, which we have featured on the ZINCsense blog before, has been featured in the Frame newsletter. Check it out at the link provided (click on the title above.) Enjoy -VM

this just in

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:21:59 -0400

this just in:

the vmzinc channel now has our new series: interviews with architects!

thanks again to chandra hester for working out the bugs in the system. stay tuned for more interviews. -vm

project of the month

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 20:52:00 -0400

project of the month:

project of the month: 03.30 -better late than never: the basic black t-shirt.

after a frustrating weekend trying to load the march project of the month (p.o.m) to this, our trusty blog, we finally threw in the towel and decided to use a friend’s brand spanking new you-tube channel to host our p.o.m. (our own vmzinc channel has also been a little trying lately). rest assured, we will have this p.o.m on our own channel very, very soon. until then, you will have to find it at the link at the very top of this post. just click on the words “project of the month.”

yes, you understood that correctly. our project of the month is a video, but it is not a building. huh? what… no, the project in march was to roll out our new video series: interviews with architects. this video features a cool builidng, but the real project was the formatting of the video. a special shout-out to chandra hester on our team for making our vhs tape from 1984 look all digital and cool-like. thanks, ch! (just kidding about ‘84.) it also features a short interview with award winning architect, dean marchetto.

before you check this out, tell us what you think of the series name: interviews with architects? think of it as minimalism. more direct and easy going. more black t-shirt than black turtleneck. more no-tie than bow-tie. more… well, you get the idea. any way you slice it, and no matter how late, or what you are wearing, we hope you enjoy our project. -vm

past tense-road trip: where in the world is vmzinc? perhaps it...

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 13:53:45 -0400

past tense-road trip: where in the world is vmzinc? perhaps it would be better to ask, where in the world isn’t vmzinc. in the last couple of weeks, the united states team has been all over the country. here are some highlights from one of our teammates. we are going to protect his or her identity for now and only post what was written. the name of the author has been deleted to protect the not-so-innocent.

“okay. last three weeks or so? on fire -that’s where i’ve been. no, seriously. let me break down the gig for you.

“i went to minneapolis-st. paul. msp, if you will. i went on a sunday. early, if i recall it correctly. it was okay weather in raleigh when i left and a little blustery when i arrived in msp. don’t worry, former boy scout here: i took a heavy coat and gloves. the reason i left on sunday was so that i could have an early a.m. meeting on monday with the national sales manager for dri-design. we had planned this for quite some time and i was practicing stretching my stomach muscles in anticipation of a large glycemic load at ihop, some waffle place, or dennys… you know, a place that does breakfast food! this was supposed to be the kick-off meal and conversation that jump-started a week that was centered around the new reps for north and south dakota. then, all of a sudden, a fire arose out of the south and quickly consumed all such plans.

“so as it happens, i found out that in this particular case, a flight from msp to new orleans is less expensive than trying to reroute everything through rdu in raleigh. i cancelled the stomach muscle exercises, pushed the breakfast meeting to friday, and pushed all of our north dakota commitments back a day. i arose at 4:00 a.m. it was cold when i left msp. it was overcast and humid when i arrived in new orleans. don’t worry. i took a light shirt. no use showing up in a customer’s office to solve a problem looking like shamoo at sea world. um… you look a little, what’s the word… damp. i arrived dry and we took care of the problem with one of our best customers. mission completed, i went back to the airport, had some cajun food, and then got back on a plane for msp. it was late and snowing when i arrived. you already know about the coat.

“i picked up our new reps the next morning at seven bells and we hauled zinc towards the north dakota state line. surprisingly, it was sunny. all of our friends in north dakota had warned us that a blizzard was arriving soon and that there was some serious north dakota potential for detainment in the offing. no worries. one of our new reps, will pilkington, is a former british marine. as you will see in the photos that i am attaching, he is not only good with our clients, he is awfully handy when you plant the front end of a jeep in a snow bank. we arrived before noon and got straight to work.

“it did snow that night. it snowed enough for that snowbank to exist after the snow plows did their deed in the early morning of the next day in north dakota. no worries. i come from snow country, i was a former boy scout, and i arrived equipped with a heavy coat, gloves, a rented jeep and a former british marine who, in turn, was equipped with a collapsible shovel.

“our other new rep, dave rassmussen, already knew a lot of the local architects. i won’t list all of the architects that we visited, but suffice to say that we ran out of time and that will & dave will be making another trip to the big n.d. again. we spent two days in fargo and then spent a day in grand forks. between the two cities, we often drove fast, played loud music and enjoyed the time with the architects. we arrived back in msp under heavy sleet around 10:00 pm or so on thursday night. i dropped off the tired and weary cowboys and headed for my own little bunk house downtown -the hilton garden inn. don’t worry. i went prepared to sleep. (will and dave own the architectural product representation group, M3-SIXTY and it can be found at www.m3-sixty.com .)

“i got up early the next morning and remembered what real cold feels like. i can tell you now and without reservation: it is cold. cold enough that it might hurt to exchange air with the old lungs. it wasn’t that cold in msp this time, but cold enough. cold enough that i could remember real cold. cold and also sunny. but mainly cold. (fun fact for you: sunny days are usually colder in midwest winters. why? because a lack of cloud cover let’s any warmth reflected off the snow escape.) i went to meet our friend from dri-design for breakfast. fortunately, i had been eating well in dakota, and my stomach muscles were ready. no need to worry.

“we talked about a number of things relating to zincy goodness smothered in a dri-design panel and attached to award winning homes, commercial buildings, etc. when we were done, we promised to catch up again soon as he headed off to work and i headed towards the well-known (at this point) msp airport. i enjoyed the new reps and the people in north dakota. i am looking forward to going back there again. i arrived in raleigh late in the day on friday. the air was mildly warm and i was happy, fat and contented. (www.dri-design.com)

“on sunday, i went to philly. this was to see a man early monday morning about the thing with those people… you know the deal. black ops. double-secret probation. the usual. while there, i and our erstwhile colleague had the opportunity to spend time with super-rep and all around great guy, mike jung. (mike is an architectural products representative. his business is architectural metal resources of haddonfield, nj.) we got in on sunday and left on monday. i have to tell you that i am enjoying the city more and more and that there is some serious zinc in and around that town. fun!

“i then went to hotlanta, g to the a. 18 wheels and trucking. we’re going to do what they said can’t be done. yep. atlanta. straight from the city of brotherly love to the home of coca-cola, delta air lines and smokey & the bandit. i went to meet with our rep, phil marvel, or, as we know him now, philly-(wacca-wacca)-cream-cheese. the man! it was warm when i got there, but not overly so. no worries. i had switched one suitcase full of dirty clothes for another full of clean clothes. in said suitcase was another light shirt. all is good and right with the world. the mission was mainly to talk over some business. in between, we had the opportunity to look at a new church going up with quartz zinc on a great roof line, and also to look at the dawson county courthouse which sports a new dome in beautiful red zinc. very, very cool! (phil marvel’s group, pcm southern, can be found at: www.pcmsouthern.com)

“i then came back to raleigh and spent all of one-point-five days back in the saddle before heading off to city of washington in the columbia district. you know… north of ikea on the interstate. this roadtrip was for the annual aaf accent on architecture gala. surprise, surprise! they honored mayor nutter of philadelphia for his phenomenal work with city planning. that town is cool with a very big C. haworth –the company, and s.o.m. –the architects, were also honored with the good design is good business lifetime achievement awards. it was nice to see the legacy that our fellow citizens are leaving behind. inspirational is the word. inspirational and possibly black-tie. yep. this is/was a black-tie event. don’t worry. i have one.

“i returned once again to fair raleigh, and have been spending the last week catching up. don’t worry. i have a computer, a phone, and a cellular telephone device which, believe it or not, allows me to stay in contact with our friends and clients around the word. so, catching up, was and is really about planning, promoting and having fun with vmzinc. part of that fun was being able to attend the grand opening of the aia north carolina center in downtown raleigh. this is the building that we participated in with pigmento red zinc. frank harmon, faia, and other local luminaries were on hand. it was a warm saturday afternoon. again, i say, no worries. i had a clean white shirt on. it smelled freshly laundered. the shirt reflected the occasional and intermittent sunshine and swam in the warmth of this great building. you should have been there. fire, baby! on fire!” (www.frankharmon.com is the website of frank harmon, faia.)

until next time, enjoy -vm

project of the month -02.12 -hooked on phonics: pronunciations...

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:30:00 -0500

project of the month -02.12 -hooked on phonics:

pronunciations vary for non-locals, but for those living in and around northwest washington state, puyallup is a city located south of seattle. or southeast of tacoma, if you prefer. (don’t worry, locals will tell you which one, if any, is correct). either way, our hearing is going due to too much rock and roll in our youth at the tacoma dome, so we are have trouble nailing it down. no worries.

the name comes from the native american puyallup tribe. “puyallup” means the generous people. we can see that. nice people, nice city and nice architectural sensibilities.

take the puyallup city hall, for instance. designed by the mighty mithun firm on the great alaskan way in nearby seattle, this building absolutely sings with massing and materiality. we say “mighty” for a reason. mithun architects provided the architectural, interior design, and landscaping services for this private-public stunner. (http://mithun.com/projects/project_detail/puyallup_city_hall_block/)

the team at mithun has managed to join the public and private realms with a project that accommodates shops on the main street front and a public plaza + courtyard + landscape to be enjoyed by all. moreover, the mixing of a material pallet that includes concrete, brick, glass, wood, plants, lights and zinc, could have been a disaster in less skilled hands. mithun makes it happen with an ease that doesn’t shout for or demand attention. instead, it has a subtle and sweet finesse that sneaks up on you.

The only thing we’re concerned about is that drivers passing this building too fast will suddenly slam on their breaks and cause accidents! (“whoa! what was that?”) closer inspection (of the zinc first, of course) reveals zinc panel sizes intentionally rendered so that the reveals line up with the mullions. sounds easy. hard to do once paper meets the reality of construction. by the way, the zinc was expertly installed by locals: architectural sheet metal of puyallup. (www.architecturalsheetmetal.com)

we believe that the installers’ local pride, combined with their craftsmanship, speaks for itself. but, because this is a blog, we will mention that the vertical interlocking wall panels were drawn in such a way that they create texture as they draw the eye to the sky. the vertical columns above the brick massing at the street front intensify this effort. wrapping the zinc around to the nearby fascia brings the eye back to the other elements, including the glass and the wood soffit. the brick base box anchors the ensemble to the lively street.

everywhere you turn, the materiality of this building plays out like a small symphony. quiet and confident — not like great grandma cranking out show tunes on her 1970s hi-fi at full volume in the room down the hall. no, this building is more like a drive along the ocean on a sunday afternoon, or a windswept field on an open prairie. calm with an element of the uncontrolled. and yet, somehow, it is being controlled. generous in it’s own way. enough said.

we hope you go by this project. get off i-5 for a few moments and take a look. if you dig architecture, you’ll be glad that you did. on the way, you can practice non-local variations of the name: “pju-AWL-ep” … “pew-owl-up” …”pew-awl-ap” ”hello? hooked on phonics?”

enjoy -vm

photos by gilbertson photography. (www.gilbertsonphotography.com)

editorial contributions by bryan ninneman

road trip: (not really news, just an update on where we are) ...

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:36:11 -0500

road trip: (not really news, just an update on where we are) part of the vmzinc team is in clearwater beach, florida -at least for another day or two. we are attending the metal construction association annual meeting. (www.metalconstruction.org) we are also one of the sponsors for the event.

this is a good meeting with relevant information and a healthy exchange of ideas. sponsors, business partners, associates and even the competition attend, learn, laugh and discuss the industry. business gets done and attendees can learn about the state of the market -a worthwhile endeavor in and of itself. of course, it helps that it is being held in a non-winter-like location, too. not surprisingly, attendendance is up this year. we’ll keep you posted. -vm

happy 2012 and welcome back to the ZINC sense blog. we’re...

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 18:49:00 -0500

happy 2012 and welcome back to the ZINC sense blog. we’re going to kick the year off right now with the january project(s) of the month: frozen music-the stephen hawking centre at the perimeter institute for theoretical physics.

if you are ever in toronto, ontario, with a day to kill, you may want to drive to the community of waterloo. there is plenty to see (and do) in toronto, but waterloo may take you on a visual journey that is rare in an age where communities everywhere are trying their hand at the architectural-icon-as-attraction-idea.

once in waterloo, drive to the centre, located along the banks of a meandering river- specifically at 31 caroline street north. it will take you a little while to get there from toronto (depending on your driving habits), but the drive will be worth it if you would like to see not one, but two incredible buildings connected by the talents of two amazing firms.

the arch daily website has an incredible spread on the first part of this building. it was designed by the powerhouse firm saucier and perrotte architects. (http://www.saucierperrotte.com/ and the arch daily link is located at: http://www.archdaily.com/12293/perimeter-institute-for-theoretical-physics-saucier-perrotte-architectes/). the design sensibility is pure mastery of form followed by striking details -all rendered with the rarest of architectural qualities; restraint. not to oversell this firm, but saucier and perrotte have this touch that lies somewhere between poetic massing that approaches the monolithic, and a dozen Dixon Ticonderoga # 2 pencils.

teeple architects designed the second part of the centre. do yourself a favor and check out the washed out image of the centre on their site at http://www.teeplearch.com/. the images above are of the teeple addition to the perimeter institute. all four are from old vm friend, gilbertson photography. (www.gilbertsonphotography.com) the panels are flatlock panels in quartz zinc, and were installed by the craftspeople at flynn canada. (www.flynn.ca)

whereas saucier and perrotte celebrate the work in a quiet manner, teeple architects also celebrate the detail -the normally quiet or the small moves, if you will, within the larger massing of the addition. only they do it with the exuberance of a howitzer. everywhere one looks at this addition, the joy, the simplicity of the moves, is celebrated and served in suprise after closer-inspection-surprise. the joy is in the looking. and then looking again. the lines invite the eyes to explore, move, dance, twist, jump, and finally rest. what could have easily been a heavy, heavy hand has managed to recognize the significant, and has given it form.

we can, and probably should, go on and on and on about all of the other cool people and cool details involved with and in this project. all of that and the work of the institute, and the teaching that takes place there, and the mood and vibe of the intellect that oozes out of every corner and crevice of the centre. we could talk about the history of the institute and how it is indirectly tied to the pioneers of the smart phone. we could talk about all of that and more. but we won’t. at least not during this initial design salvo shooting across a northern sky. instead, we invite you to drive up there and stop and look for yourself. perhaps call in advance. why?

because this is a building composed of two buildings. forgive the weak poetic license and the waxing poetic, this building (these buildings) bring it out -in droves. like the ying and yang, or any other symbol that has a visual balance, the two parts of the centre work together while maintaining their own identities. all of that and because it is worth it.

enjoy. -vm

we are in los angeles today where a big wallet can rent a lambo...

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 10:04:00 -0500

we are in los angeles today where a big wallet can rent a lambo from hertz, or a bigger wallet can buy one from someplace nearby. either way, you will still be doing 25 to 45 in the fast lane of the 110 during certain parts of the day. (we rented a chevy malibu, for the record.)

speaking of mobility, we would like to take a moment and thank all of our far-flung friends, customers, clients, reps and families for a great 2011. we had the issue of too much work and not enough time this year. we are thankful for such luxurious problems and appreciate your investment of time and energy with our company. thank you from the bottom of our hearts. (which is where we keep all of the things that we cherish. except for the lambo, of course. that is kept behind a gate near LAX.)

we wish you a restful and joyful holiday, and a great 2012! -vm

holiday sugar: we are in san francisco this week and had the...

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 10:21:07 -0500

holiday sugar: we are in san francisco this week and had the opportunity between meetings to take a quick walk through the san francisco palace hotel. built in 1875 and rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake, this jewel in the heart of san fran is worth the stop. more information about a history rich with presidents, actors, authors and quite possibly many architects, can be found here: http://www.sfpalace.com/history. located at number 2 on new montgomery street, we recommend it for quick, or even sustained, bursts of sugar. enjoy this holiday treat. -vm

green friends: our friends at dri-design (www.dri-design.com)...

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 09:32:19 -0500

green friends: our friends at dri-design (www.dri-design.com) were recently featured on the bdc network’s green zone. check out their sweet videos (plural) in the lower right hand corner of the screen. after you watch the first building (filmed at green build) click on the next video to see how fast this material goes up. it’s pretty amazing and nice to see a product that is designed for efficiency as well as aesthetics. here’s the link: http://www.bdcnetwork.com/greenzone/dri-design.html enjoy. -vm

making bacon -canadian road trip: we took a little detour from...

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:09:00 -0500

making bacon -canadian road trip: we took a little detour from the construct canada show today and spent the morning looking at (what else) zinc projects in and around the greater toronto area. all the projects rocked in their own way. and, like children, we love them all. or, perhaps more germane, like maple syrup and bacon, we dig ‘em both. (eh.) however…

the photo above is of pigmented zinc (we call it “pigmento”) being installed on a new courthouse in kitchner -north of toronto. the pigmented zinc comes in three flavors, and, if one looks closely, in multiple widths, textures and dimensions. in this case, the courthouse is sporting multiple widths of an interlocking panel. (more info can be found on the interlocking panel used on this project at www.vmzinc-us.com). in addition, the soffit panels will be dri-design panels sauteed in zinc. (www.dri-design.com).

now, before we get called out for always talking about zinc, (sidebar: um, check out the name of the blog), let us share a great video link for this project: http://tinyurl.com/c6whl4k . this video shows the project being built from the moment it comes out of the ground to… well, let’s just say that it is a very tasty treat for those that are so inclined. forgive the weak metaphor -kind of like canadian bacon. enjoy. -vm

thankful california-11-11 project of the month: we almost...

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 23:22:00 -0500

thankful california-11-11 project of the month: we almost missed the end of the month without our regular project of the month feature. we are in toronto this week for the construct canada show. (www.constructcanada.com). so, before the month slips away (in about one hour) allow us to share this beautiful pigmento green zinc project with you.

this is the temple sinai in oakland, california. worth the drive if one is in the bay area, this beautiful project contrasts the existing temple with the new addition by michael harris architecture. (http://www.mbh-arch.com/) in addition, michael harris contrasts vertical and horizontal elements of the addition and echoes those moves in the orientation of the zinc standing seam panels.

the project was installed by peterson sheet metal and the photography was shot by gilbertson photography. we are thankful to share it with you -this month. enjoy. =vm

happy thanksgiving! -vm

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 08:47:36 -0500

happy thanksgiving! -vm

back in the saddle again -after a brief respite, we are back in...

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:53:00 -0500

back in the saddle again -after a brief respite, we are back in the saddle again and with a nice dakota-centric announcement to share: M3Sixty has joined the VMZINC family as independent reps for the dakotas.

as a side note, our company has an extensive representative network across the country. M3Sixty brings decades of experience in the facade and architectural markets and completes a missing puzzle piece for the midwest.

we are happy that they have joined the team and look forward to working with them from minot to sioux falls and all stops in between. welcome to the ranch, boys! -vm