MG McGrath Architectural Sheet, an award-winning leader in the architectural sheet metal industry, has been awarded the 2014 Interiors Metal Architecture Design Award for the work completed on the Mall of America Rod Art Project.   MG McGrath designed, engineered, fabricated and installed the 4000- ½ inch diameter aluminum rods in six different anodizes finishes that hung on 1 millimeter stainless steel cables.  The six different anodizes finishes ultimately chosen were: buffed satin white gold, buffed satin stainless steel, buffed brite bronze, buffed brite brown, buffed brite stainless steel, and fiery fuchsia.  The result is a sculpture of shimmering, cascading light essential for defining the unique character of the Southeast Expansion.

 

The hanging art installation needed to be cutting edge and original to differentiate the high-end retail space of the mall. “The rod art needed to be heavy enough so it wouldn’t sway in drafty conditions, yet light enough that it didn’t need additional heavy structural support,” says Phil Stien, AIA, senior associate at DLR Group, Minneapolis, the local architecture firm for the project. “Aluminum rods offered the right solution. The aluminum rods offer a consistent, lightweight material that allows for a range of colors and finishes. In addition, the rods can support other items such as the LED lighting. The LED lighting was introduced to activate the art installation. Mall guests that walk by it see different light reflections passing through the artwork, which is heightened by the finish of the aluminum rods.”

 

Key Project Information:

Project Name: Mall of America Rod Art | Location: Bloomington, Minn.

Completed: December 2012 | Total square footage: 4,000 rods | Building owner: Mall of America

Architect: DLR Group, Chicago, www.dlrgroup.com

Design architect: Gabellini Sheppard Associates, New York City, www.gabellinisheppard.com

General contractor: Mortenson Construction, Chicago, www.mortenson.com

Lighting consultant: Cooley Monato Studio, New York City, www.cooleymonato.com

Lighting supplier: HK Lighting, Newbury Park, Calif., www.hklightinggroup.com

Metal fabricator/installer: MG McGrath, Maplewood, Minn., www.mgmcgrath.com

Aluminum supplier: Stylmark Inc., Minneapolis, www.stylmark.com