In the Works

While the pandemic put the brakes on a lot of activities after 2021, many companies in the metalworking industry still forged ahead with outstanding projects, as this sampling shows.

Hats off to the folks at Wiemann Metalcraft of Tulsa, Oklahoma, for winning the prestigious 2023 North American Copper in Architecture (NACIA) award for its bronze gates submission. Crafted for a Private Monument project in Virginia, the gates join the ranks of past award winners as outstanding achievements in creativity, craftsmanship, and detail as expressed in a wide range of copper building projects across the United States and Canada.

“It’s an honor to be recognized for this work by the CDA,” says Doug Bracken, president of Wiemann. “Our clients at Cold Spring USA and the design lead at Solis Betancourt & Sherrill also deserve recognition.” Founded in 1940, Wiemann Metalcraft is a full-service custom ornamental and architectural metal fabricator and blacksmith serving an international client base.

Anchored in classical design, the monument highlights two large entry gates with heavy-duty mortised hinges and two operable metal screens fabricated by Wiemann Metalcraft. Judges appreciated the exceptional design and craftsmanship of the custom bronze work, which features solid metal grilles and custom rim-lock hardware with a light patina.

The NACIA awards are bestowed by the Copper Development Association Inc. (CDA), a U.S.-based, not-for-profit association of the global copper industry. “The Award winners successfully use copper and copper alloy materials to enhance the aesthetics, performance, sustainability, and longevity of the building,” explains Larry Peters, project manager for CDA, “extending the architectural legacy of this remarkable material.” Winning projects are wide-ranging, including innovative new construction as well as meticulously executed historical restoration.

Down South, this year Robinson Iron of Alexander City, Alabama, is enjoying a return to a favorite project as they refurbish the famous Montgomery Court Square Fountain in the state’s capital city. The 25-foot-tall edifice was originally restored by Robinson in 1984 after nearly a century of service, and became the first of many large-scale fountains the company has rehabbed or recreated since then.

Cast in 1885 by the legendary J.L. Mott Iron Works of New York City, the fountain is a landmark in the capital not only for its beauty but also its history. The design, based upon Greek mythological characters, features Hebe, goddess of youth and cup bearer to the Gods, atop the fountain with cup raised in welcome to city visitors. Even more significant, the fountain sits on a natural artesian well that has quenched thirsts for generations. Native Americans collected drinking water on the site long before there was a city, and later settlers turned to its two-gallons-per-minute flow as they moved into the area.

In what is essentially a facelift, Robinson is disassembling the castings and shipping them to their facility in Alexander City, where the firm will repair several small, age-related defects. Then they will apply zinc priming to protect the metal from corrosion, followed by prime and finish coats. Once the shop work is done, the company will reassemble the fountain and test it for water flow and pressure, after which it will be reinstalled back in its historic location.

According to city officials, “the project is a significant undertaking,” but it’s right up the alley of Robinson Iron, who have specialized in the restoration, replication, custom casting, and preservation of historic metals for over 50 years.

As Compass Ironworks in Gap, Pennsylvania, celebrates 25 years of creating custom fences, gates, railings, and stairs in steel, aluminum, and other metals, they took time to share how they’ve seen design trends change over that time.

In their experience, for many years they rarely saw a cross-over between traditional or classical design and modern or contemporary projects with new materials and hard, clean lines. “However, a little over a decade ago,” recalls Amos Glick at the company, “we noticed a growing interest in taking traditional or reclaimed materials, such as iron, stone, or recycled wood, and mixing in modern design elements. Now, as old buildings are renovated into modern spaces, even ‘rustic-modern designs’ are popular.”

The trend is growing in ironwork as well—not to the extent of being completely modern-style, but with design elements that might be called transitional. A prime example of this new direction is a stair project the company created a few years ago. “The stair stringers have the industrial look of I-beams with rustic Douglas fir treads,” he says. However, the stair railing design is contemporary with a bronze cap rail, which had a modern profile but was done in an antique tarnish finish. “This combination of industrial wood-and-beam, the clean lines of the contemporary railing, and finishing touches of the contemporary/classical bronze cap rail, flips earlier ideas of architecture on their heads,” he observes.

Glick adds that, while it’s unclear what design trends will be 25 years from now, he believes “ironwork, and good craftsmanship, will always find their way into the architectural trends of the day.”

The year 2023 has also been outstanding for BELT Atelier in Hollywood, Florida. Specialists in hand-forging, casting, and creating doors and other architectural accessories in metalwork, as they explain, their projects are “envisioned and interpreted by Louis Beltran and the design team,” after which the designs are “transformed by our craftspeople and experts into magnificent art pieces.”

Such meticulously crafted detail has earned BELT three prestigious NOMMA Top Job Awards. Among them are two silver medals in the “Furniture & Accessories Forged” and “Driveway Gates Non-forged” categories, as well as the coveted gold medal in “Driveway Gates Forged,” for their “Inspired by Nature” project.

As the folks at BELT explain, “This project, drawing inspiration from the very essence of nature, stands as a beacon of creativity and excellence, capturing the majesty of Mother Earth through an authentic work of art. Each door showcases intricate designs that capture the beauty of tree branches and the mesmerizing patterns of peacock feathers.”

Adding to the achievements, BELT was honored with the coveted ICAA Addison Mizner Award. A testament to “Excellence in Craftsmanship,” it recognizes their team’s dedication and outstanding efforts and adds the fourth award they earned in Florida.

Honored by these awards, the BELT team reminds us that “every achievement results from collective effort, a symphony of creative minds working in harmony,” and that, “when one looks at nature with creative eyes, one can find doors to a future full of possibilities and infinite beauty.” TB