Working from solid sheets of .125”-thick copper, M.G. McGrath of Maplewood, MN, fabricated and installed a truly one-of-a-kind screen wall for the Westminster Church in Minneapolis, MN. The screen was designed by Meyer & Scherer of Rockcastle, MN, and features the artwork of Coen & Partners of Minneapolis.

The screen is installed across the front and back of the church property and began with the setting of galvanized steel posts on 4’ centers. The posts are joined by 8-gauge stainless steel top and bottom rails, with the copper panels then attached to those rails. Approximately 200 copper panels, each measuring 3’10”-wide x 8’ high, were required to complete the project.

The panels were fabricated using a C&C machine—a multi-axis router table which drilled and machined the panels in a continuous process. To create the panels as designed required each panel have nearly 23,000 holes. Figuring out how to turn ideas into reality is nothing new for M.G. McGrath—it does a tremendous amount of custom work—but the process is never quick and easy. In the case of the copper screens, it took six months to determine how best to make the panels and then fine tune that production process.

M.A. Mortenson, Minneapolis, was the general contractor.