Their work raises the level of an architect's abilities. They are artistic and creative collaborators - from design to fabrication to installation - whose incredible abilities make architectural dreams realities.” — Daniel Libeskind
“Zahner works with the architect's vision, making designs come to life and, in the process, may bring out something revolutionary.” — Antoine Predock
“Without any p
recedent on which to draw, Zahner, a company whose name is in the Rolodex of every European architect with American aspirations, figured out a way to make 3,000 individual panels pixelated with dents of varying depth to produce the desired image. Seurat would have marveled.” — New York Times
“Craftsmanship in large buildings is supposed to be dead, killed by Modernist ideology and cost considerations. What this building says is that maybe craftsmanship has a high-tech future after all.” — Time Magazine
"His firm provides exemplary craftsmanship in everything they undertake, and are seriously and extremely committed to Architecture, with a capital A.” —Frank Gehry
Zahner was founded in 1897 by Andrew Zahner as Eagle Cornice Works, serving the region with decorative cornice works and repair. In 1913, the company became A. Zahner Sheet Metal Company, and over the course of the century would produce metal-work from industrial kitchen tables to metal work on buildings. In 1989, Andrew Zahner's great-grandson, L. William Zahner III became company president, and is credited with transforming the company from a regional sheet-metal contractor into a national architectural metals and facades producer. He also guided the company towards producing works by artists as well as architects. During the past thirty years, the company produced the exteriors for notable structures including the de Young Museum in San Francisco, California, the Experience Music Project in Seattle, Washington, and is producing the upcoming National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City. The firm is involved in the development of architectural metal systems as well as patinas and other surface treatments on metal. Zahner holds five patents which pertain to the Architectural Metals industry Zahner President and CEO L. William Zahner serves as the Industry Liaison for the National Architectural Committee of SMACNA, and in 2006, was awarded the Copper Medal, Associazone Italiana di Metallurgia (AIM). On January 21, 2011, companies Zahner and KME announced a joint venture, Zahner-KME. The venture will offer engineering and building services to architects in the European Market.
