ROANOKE, VA.- The Art Museum of Western Virginia announced today that the installation of the anchors and framing for the new Art Museum’s soaring, 80-foot glass atrium will begin this month. Installation of the building’s ZEPPS and stainless steel roof panels continues, as does installation of the exterior wall panels along Norfolk Avenue.

Installation of the new Art Museum’s expansive atrium glass enclosure will begin this month and will continue through the fall. During the first phase of the installation of the curtain wall, anchors will be welded to the structural steel which will then hold the aluminum framing system. After the aluminum framing is complete, glass installation will begin. The aluminum framing is fabricated by Architectural Glazing Technologies, a division of Architectural Skylight Company, headquartered in Waterboro, Maine. The glass is made by Viracon, headquartered in Owatonna, Minnesota. The curtain wall system has been designed to span multiple floors of the new building and to take into consideration design requirements such as thermal expansion and contraction, building sway and movement, water diversion, wind load, and thermal efficiency for cost-effective heating, cooling and lighting.

The curtain wall will be installed by Permasteelisa CS, a global leader in the design, project management, production and installation of innovative architectural envelopes world-wide. Permasteelisa projects in the United States include the Experience Music Project in Seattle, WA; the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, CA; the Millenium Park Bridge in Chicago, IL; the Hearst Building in NY, NY; and the Connecticut Center for Science and Exploration in Hartford, CT. Permasteelisa’s international projects include the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain; the BMW Welt in Munich, Germany; and the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia.

Installation of the metal panels that form the exterior wall enclosure of the facility continues on the building’s Norfolk Avenue side and will move to the south side of the building along Salem Avenue. Made of pre-patinated zinc surfaces on aluminum panels, the unique color of the panels is created though a process in which the panels are bathed in an acid mixture and then rinsed with water until the desirable patina is achieved. Installation of these panels will continue for several months.

Installation of the ZEPPS panels (Zahner Engineered Profiled Panel System), which are used to provide the protruding, cantilevered edges of the new Art Museum’s undulating stainless steel roof, also continues. ZEPPS is a system of modular units that attach directly to the roof structural steel and will define the new Art Museum roof’s distinctive, curvilinear shape. The panels are prefabricated by A. Zahner Company, the roofing subcontractor, and include self-supporting structures that become part of the roof and provide critical insulation and water-proofing elements for the roof. Once the panels and the remaining roofing substructure are in place, the building is ready for the stainless steel roof application by A. Zahner Company, which has worked on many fascinating architectural and sculptural projects utilizing metal as a major design material. The roof application has begun and will continue through the end of the year.

Ceiling rough-in of the electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems continues, with work moving from level two up to level three. Varney, Inc., headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, serves as the subcontractor for the installation of the new Art Museum’s electrical systems, including fire alarm and security systems as well as backbone work for telecom and A/V systems. Interior wall framing has begun on the lower levels and will continue through the fall.

Element 1, the final element of the new Art Museum to be erected, houses the atrium and lobby, concourse, museum store, and a portion of the caf�. Element 2 houses the first floor auditorium, theater and lobby, equipment platforms, primary mechanical spaces, and the second floor art galleries, including the contemporary gallery. Element 3 of the building design houses the library, boardroom, boardroom terrace, director’s office, temporary galleries, Art Venture, and a portion of the caf�. Element 4 houses back of house mechanical rooms, housekeeping areas, art storage and the catering kitchen, third floor reception and administrative offices, and several small galleries, including the prints and photography, regional decorative arts, Leiber handbag collection, and modernism galleries. Elements 5 and 6 together house the art loading and service docks, new media gallery and American art gallery.

A half scale model of the new Art Museum’s roof at the intersection of Elements 3 and 6 is on exhibit in the Art Museum’s current facility as part of the Process and Promise in a New Art Museum exhibition. The Art Museum galleries are open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, 1-5 p.m. Admission is $3 per person Tuesday through Saturday and free on Sundays.