Chemistry Auditorium/Seminar Hall, University of Wisconsin
When the original millwork firm failed to deliver, hillcraft came to the rescue, and provided over 5300 square feet of radius wall paneling and millwork in 5 short weeks. Site construction had already been ongoing for over a year, but thanks to our decade long relationship with premium veneer plywood vendor/partner Saunders Wood Specialties, the impossibly short schedule was upheld. Approximately 10,000 square feet of premium AA Hard Maple veneer was used to produce 823 individual wall panels, which received a furniture grade conversion varnish finish.
Each panel was installed using a “Z Clip” system, with continuous grain-matching upheld throughout the auditorium, doorways, lobby walls, and lobby columns. For ease of installation, a grid numbering system was employed, whereby the serial number on the back of each panel identified placement vertically, horizontally, and by phase, and corresponded with a numbered plan set. Panel #478 for example, was located in area 4, 7 columns from the left, 8 rows up from the floor. To make matters more challenging, all panels at the rear projector wall were concave with varying radii, and all panels at stage left and stage right were convex and required grain alignment over 2 stories high.
To further challenge our craftspeople, field measuring took place over 6 different site visits as scaffolding was erected, requiring extensive use of finish “control samples” to ensure accurate color matching from panel to panel, and phase to phase.
Specifics – the “AA” grade hard white maple veneer was slip, balance, and center matched, laid up on ¾” fire-rated particle board core, and balanced with #1 grade maple. Center matching maintains a pleasing appearance by placing a veneer splice line in the exact center of the panel, while slip matching minimizes “barber pole” striping common when dark stains are applied on light woods. Radius panels were produced by making closely spaced “kerf” cuts on the backsides of the panels, and gluing a backing sheet in place while clamped between curved bucks, or jigs, matching the wall radius. Hardwood edging was then applied to edges to conceal the kerf cuts. While technology makes this all possible, it is our craftspeople that make the technology work.
Project Team
| hillcraft Project Manager: |
Scott Maier |
| General Contractor: |
JP Cullen,
Madison, WI |
| Architect/Designer: |
U.W.H.C. Facilities Department,
Madison, WI |
| Associate Architect: |
Bouril Design,
Madison, WI
|
| Location: |
Madison, Wisconsin |
