Aluminum in Contemporary Architecture

Heinz Architectural Center. Carnegie Museum of Art. Pittsburgh, PA (USA) 2000-2001
Exhibitions Fabrication Exhibitions Furniture

The Houston Products Laboratory was selected by the Heinz Architectural Center as one of eight projects to be exhibited in Aluminum in Contemporary Architecture, at the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh. Interloop Architecture designed and fabricated a sixteen foot long table to display drawings, diagrams, models, and renderings. The table is a steel powder-coated frame that supports nine custom milled aluminum plate tops, clear anodized and black anodized. The exhibit ran November 2000 through February 2001 in association with the exhibition Aluminum by Design: Jewelry to Jets.

Project Team: Todd VanVarick, Peter Koehler, Jessica Young, Ken Andrews, Onezieme Mouton, Alex O'Brient, and Katie Bennett.

View of Houston Products Lab exhibition table in the Forum Gallery. Heinz Architectural Center. Carnegie Museum of Art. Pittsburgh, PA

View of milled wood and aluminum detailed model. Plywood site surface follows angle of bent steel legs below.

Plan of exhibition table. The sixteen foot long exhibition table surface is made up of nine milled aluminum plates, clear anodized and black anodized, that display drawings, diagrams, models, and renderings. Drawings and diagrams are both mounted to the plates and etched into the aluminum. Two finished plywood plates extend beyond the table edge (5) to form the site surface of a large detailed model. 1. Statement 2. Plexiglas concept model of “ribbon” - one of seven 3. Site Plan - Etched into aluminum plate 4. Detail Image 5. Milled Wood and Metal Model 6. Detail Image 7. Sections and Diagrams 8. Rendered Elevations 9. Plans and Diagrams - Etched into aluminum plate 10. Detail Image 11. Exterior Rendering 12. Boundary Object Diagrams

Section of exhibition table at cantilever. The powder coated frame is supported at one end by a painted wood base box, provided by the Carnegie Museum of Art. Two powder coated bent steel legs positioned under the detailed model support the other end of the table, and allow it to cantilever three feet, six inches.

View of table from plate nine, (left). View of table from plate one, (right).

Detail of plexiglas model. Seven plexiglas diagram models emerge from the table's surface. Models are set within milled openings and mounted to tabs with blind fasteners from below.