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NEWS RELEASE

10-29-03

Contacts:
Heather Sauer, College of Design Communications, (515) 294-9289
Teddi Barron, News Service, (515) 294-4778

METAL SURFACES AND TEXTURES FOR 21ST CENTURY ARCHITECTURE IS SUBJECT OF ISU DESIGN COLLEGE LECTURE NOV. 5

AMES, Iowa -- The CEO of the company that fabricated and installed the undulating metal exterior of architect Frank Gehry's Experience Music Project in Seattle, will speak at Iowa State University, Nov. 5.

L. William (Bill) Zahner will present a lecture, "Metal Surfaces and Textures for the 21st Century," at 7 p.m. in Kocimski Auditorium, 101 Design. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Zahner is CEO of the A. Zahner Company (http://www.azahner.com), a 107-year-old architectural metal engineering, fabrication and installation company in Kansas City. The company has worked on many of the world's most striking architectural and sculptural projects that use metal as a major design material.

Zahner will discuss the 21st century renaissance in the use of metal in architectural design. He says metal is in the forefront of design materials because of strategic metals such as titanium, the development of finishes that add color to the often sterile stainless steel and the surface enhancements that offer nearly unlimited possibilities. He will discuss the use of metal in buildings such as Gehry's Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain, and circulate samples of various metals.

The A. Zahner Company's past projects include the Chihuly Bridge of Glass, Tacoma, Wash.; the Sears Tower Lobby renovation, Chicago; the Oakley Technical Center, Oakley, California; and the IBM World Corporate Headquarters, Armonk, N. Y. They are currently working on

Gerhy's Strata Center, a laboratory for artificial intelligence at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge.

Zahner's own consulting company, which works on issues facing metals in art and architecture, has been involved in the restoration of works at the Getty Museum, Los Angeles; the Walker Art Museum, Minneapolis; and the Nelson Art Museum, Kansas City. In addition, Zahner is the author of "Architectural Metals: A Guide to the Selection, Specification and Performance of Metals."

The lecture is co-sponsored by the College of Design, the architecture department and the Metal Construction Association. It is part of the College of Design's Silver Anniversary celebration, which features notable speakers and special exhibitions throughout the year. Information on upcoming events is available at http://www.design.iastate.edu, then click on 25th Anniversary.

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