Design Solutions - Winter 2022 - 33

We specialize in turnkey
manufacturing, installation of
architectural woodwork and custom
displays. From stand-alone displays
to complete interior buildouts and
custom fiberglass structures, our
team is equipped to tackle it all.
KHAYA MAHOGANY
- Tony Ritchie, Project Manager,
ConceptWorks, Inc.
Wood Notes
According to Tony Ritchie
of ConceptWorks, Inc. the firm
produced the concession bar
with paneling and cabinet on
the second floor of the tower;
reception desk with solid
surface tops and waterfall
ends on fifth floor of the
tower; performance hall stage
lattice frames with a metallic
gold printed polyester
screen behind the lattice
and doweled panel frames
with two layers of crossing,
charcoal colored woven
fiberglass screen; choral level
straight and curved fluted
columns, veneer panels
with solid wood picture
frame trim; trim in multiple
shapes and profiles; curved
stage front trim; thousands
of feet of casing, trim and
base in multiple shapes
and profiles that included
matching historical profile
samples; hundreds of
decorative laminate cabinets
in a half-dozen different
colors; hundreds of feet of
solid surface and decorative
laminate countertops in a
half-dozen different colors;
prefunction multi-purpose
spaces with floor-to-ceiling
wall panels; and spiral
staircase handrail cap.
A variety of woods
were used including Khaya
Mahogany, quarter plain cut
for general woodwork and
stage acoustical scrim walls
to match with the tones
of historic wood paneling;
Makore used at North wall
and South addition selected
because it best reflected
the patterning and wood
of musical instruments
and had flitch lengths and
widths available to achieve
the height and width of the
paneling; and painted MDF
for stage woodwork and trim.
Noteworthy Elements
" Matching the ornateness
of historical trim can be
a very tedious process of
trial-and-error until we get
the profile just right, with
knives that we cut in-house, "
explains Ritchie. " The spiral
staircase handrail cap proved
to be challenging in that
meeting the geometry of
the staircase required us to
curve, bend and twist several
layers of wood to form the
handrail composition.
Our solution was to
laminate thin hardboard
onto a thick Aspen board.
In small sections, we
templated the geometry of
the stair. We programmed
our CNC router to cut out
the radiused portions and
route out interior 'meat' of
the Aspen board leaving us
just the hardboard and the
edges. This process gave the
handrail cap the flexibility
to bend and twist with the
geometry of the staircase. "
" The eight choral level
lattice frames were possibly a
once in a lifetime build. Ranging
from 18 to 21 feet tall and nearly
seven feet wide these frames
proved tricky to move around
our shop. Sent to the site fully
fabricated, we had to coordinate
crane pick points with the
general contractor crane pick
points as well as design custom
crates for transportation to
the site. We also had to be
careful not to damage the
screen that we had installed on
the backside of the frames as
one puncture meant waiting a
couple months for replacement
screen material from Europe. "
Ludwig says, " The
woodworking that surrounds
the stage was 100% custom
designed and was certainly
the most challenging
component of the overall
project. Understandably,
the orchestra's performance
stage is the centerpiece
of the entire project, and
the stage surrounding is a
primary focal point for the
audience. Aesthetics were
critical and the woodwork
fabrication needed to be
perfect. The scale of the
woodworking pieces was a
significant challenge.
winter 2022 I designsolutions
33
Design Solutions - Winter 2022

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