Chandler City Hall Upgrades with Perforated Metal

The artist used McNICHOLS® Round Hole Perforated Metal to create "Turbulent Shade," a wall of 6-by-12-inch stainless steel panels. Designed to swing with the desert wind, the panels provide shade during the day and reduce solar heat gain during hot summer afternoons. The panels also make a statement about the community’s commitment to sustainability.

The 18-gauge panels have a 1/16-inch round hole that is 1/8-inch center staggered, creating 23% light diffusion. Attached to a Stainless Steel bar by two metal cylinder arms that float in a grommet, each Perforated Metal panel glides in the grommet, sitting about 30 inches from the building’s glass curtain wall. By day, the panels provide shade while allowing people to see out, yet obscuring the interior view from the street. Adding to the building are low-energy LED lights placed at the top and bottom, casting colors onto the moving panels.