The Beautiful Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art
This is not the first time Nelson Bros. & Strom has teamed up with an art museum for a specialized project that demonstrates their machining expertise. However, this time their work is a key architectural element inside the museum. The project combined Nelson Bros.’s machining abilities with the architect’s artistic vision, creating a truly dramatic result.
The contractor responsible for the construction of the stairwell and railings for the new Museum of Contemporary Art, on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, contacted Nelson Bros. & Strom to assist in the project due to its complexity. The architect wanted his aluminum extrusions shaped like the bow of a boat to be mounted to the steel railings. Each piece had to be mounted free-standing with no measurable gap and could not be joined with any fasteners, welding, or glue. Enter NB&S! Their reputation for being able to do any kind of machining required, was going to be tested again–and they were happy to prove it! Team Nelson & Strom stepped up to the challenge and helped design a mounting and machining method for the aluminum extrusions that would give the Architect and General Contractor what they wanted. Each aluminum section had to have a mounting pocket machined precisely in the exact locations to attach to the steel sub-structure. Each end had to have a mitered edge that needed to be machined exactly at the right length and angle to mate perfectly with the opposite piece. All the machining was performed by Nelson Bros. & Strom’s team on their large CNC Horizontal Machining Centers.
Here are a few pictures from the project:
-
- The Newsweek article written about the nearly completed project.
-
- View of the aluminum railing being fitted during the construction.
-
- Second view of the aluminum railing being fitted during the construction.
-
- View looking down from the 3rd floor level.
-
- The mounting bracket and pocket machined in three locations on each section of the aluminum extrusion.
-
- The view looking up to the top floor & skylight from the lower level.
-
- The minimal gap at the mitered edge joint between two free standing sections of aluminum.
-
- The three piece aluminum railings on the top floor of the museum. Each section of the 12″ tall aluminum extrusions are approximately 14 feet long end to end and is bowed 2 feet from end to center.
