Gorman Park

We got hired to build a set of shade pavilions for Gorman Park which were in a kidney-bean shape, and an oval, on really unique V-shaped columns. The architects for this park knew generally what they wanted, but needed help turning their drawings into manufacture-ready structures.

We worked with a structural engineer to verify our column and beam selections met every load criteria, and began work fabricating the pavilions in our Diamond Bluff welding shop, nearly three hours away from the build site.

The curved shapes presented a huge challenge from a fabrication perspective. Each of the cedar louvers had to be cut to a different length, at a different angle, and a steel channel needed to be roll-formed to encompass the board ends as they meandered in and out. We built the entire top of the structures on the floor of our shop before disassembling, finishing, and transporting them to the site.

When we arrived, concrete had already been poured and access was limited. We set the V-columns on footings, lifted beams into place, and began welding the main structural components together.

Next came the paint, then pre-finished cedar boards. Finally, the outer bent facia was installed. These structures really help anchor and define the space, one near the playground area, the other outside the St. Peter community center located on the same block as the park. While this was a challenging build, it was an incredible opportunity to work with architects and engineers we really like and create a memorable and unique environment for park guests.

Lake Minnetonka Beach Residence

This project was our first experience with tram landings. The home owner needed a way to access his boat dock down this incredibly steep hill. We fabricated a set of around 60 stacking stair modules which their landscaper installed down the hill and filled in with gravel and pavers.

After the tram was installed, we circled back to install a floating landing with a slight ramp down to the upper tram landing location, and a platform with steps on the lower tram landing too.

The cor-ten step modules also gave us a solid base to mount our own custom powder coated handrail to without any additional footings.

North Oaks Residence

This North Oaks home was nestled between huge old trees which we needed to work carefully around to achieve a complete backyard makeover. Once again, the minimal footing requirements of our cor-ten wall systems allowed the home owner to keep their trees while making significant changes to the grading.

The walkout basement patio needed a single step down into the yard, which was tied in to a set of stairs from the upper patio. While the taller walls required pier footings, most of the edging and stair risers were designed as freestanding modules set on compacted aggregate bases and bolted together for perfectly straight and plumb transitions stretching over 75’ in some cases.

Up against the hard deadline of frost imposed by our Minnesota climate, we worked hard to prefabricate this wall system in modules which could be carried into place and welded together on site, minimizing disruption to the rest of the landscaping crew.

We installed the larger walls and stair modules to footings, and since the ground had already started to freeze, the edging and stair modules were delivered and staged for the landscaping crew to bolt together once they had laid the aggregate base. We circled back as a courtesy in the spring to make sure everything fit together like a glove and while several walls with footings were located 50+ feet away from each other, the edging between them slid into place with paper thin seams without any need for modifications. That kind of precision in a landscape is probably overkill, but it’s really fun to achieve.

Deephaven Residence

The retaining walls for this Deephaven home were one of our largest projects to-date in terms of raw steel tonnage, and an incredible demonstration of the way steel can extend the strong lines of a modern building into the landscape.

Using cor-ten steel for retaining walls offers a number of advantages over concrete or stone. One of which is the minimal footings required for such inherently strong wall systems. Fewer footings means minimal disturbance to nearby trees. In addition, we were able to create matching stair risers to contain black locust pavers within a thin, concise border.

The front patio and auto court were already encircled by a cast-in-place concrete wall, which we were able to clad in a matching cor-ten facia with paper-thin panel seams and zero exposed fasteners.

Several years later, we got a call back to add the same type of freestanding steel walls and facia to an addition, which offered new challenges with sloped walls and odd angles, but careful planning and experienced hands allowed us to take it on with complete confidence. Our welder Noah is seen above grinding welds down on a few un-weathered panels.

American Trio Lofts

One of our favorite projects to-date was designing the roof top patio for ATL Lofts with our friends at PEBL Design. Being an older building, American Trio had only one elevator to the roof top, and not a particularly big one. The landscape architect reached out to see if we had any ideas for modular, commercial grade furniture which could be assembled on top of the building but was also fresh and exciting.

About a year prior, Elijah had designed a lounge chair using a steel frame with vinyl woven around it to create a seat from two intersecting planes. It was a great fit for the space, but there were many other pieces of furniture required. So we set about designing an entire line of tables, lounge chairs, dining chairs, love seats, and stools to compliment Elijah’s original design. We also built a decent number of durable aluminum planter boxes ranging from 2’x2’ up to 4’x4’ and had them powder coated to match the furniture.

The community seemed pretty happy about their upgraded space. Before the planters it had been pretty lifeless, and the sparse furniture which had occupied the space previously didn’t invite people to stay long. Now they can take in views of US Bank Stadium and the Guthrie Theater from a variety of intimate spaces created for a wide variety of uses, from work to dining, sunbathing to herb gardening, our partnership with PEBL on this project resulted in a fully considered and inviting community space.

Pentagon Park

In the spring of 2019, Elijah was approached by commercial developers to create a completely original line of outdoor furniture for patio spaces in the newly renovated Pentagon Park business center in Edina, MN. The project called for roughly 100 pieces of furniture, as well as five pergola structures. A site visit early on provided an opportunity for Elijah to explore the architecture of the late 1960s campus and come up with several designs that would highlight the repeating lines of concrete columns and glass.

After considering all the design elements already part of the site and the practical requirements of creating a durable commercial space, Elijah presented a series of furniture designed with laser cut steel, concrete, and thermally modified Ash. Businesslike yet energetic forms with an interesting combination of repeating lines and dynamic angles. Our pergolas would be modern steel frames with perforated aluminum sheets providing shade, and cedar legs.

The client accepted the preliminary proposal, and we moved on to develop the designs into prototypes, select colors, and put together a formal bid for the entire project. After settling on the final details, it was time to begin production. The lumber was sourced from a responsible forestry service specializing in recycling felled urban hardwood. The steel parts were laser cut from 1/4” steel plate and welded. We cast steel reinforced concrete tops in our own molds, and finally bolted, glued and screwed everything together.

Delivery of the full shipment of furniture was made six days ahead of the project deadline, with the Pergolas following shortly after. They were set up as specified by the landscape architect and fixed to the concrete slabs via anti-theft wire leashes. All necessary permitting was completed and inspections were scheduled by Elijah to verify with the city of Edina that the Pergolas met code. One of the most unique pieces we delivered was the community table, an 18ft monstrosity supported through its span by a 10” I-beam. Each of the spaces we got to create now draws coworkers together and into unique outdoor settings for breaks, meetings, and events. Our furniture provides flexibility, comfort, and is built to withstand the elements for many years to come.