Sharp-Corner RHS Facade Mullions for the Moody Performance Hall in Dallas
The Moody Performance Hall is a performing arts venue in downtown Dallas, Texas, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) in collaboration with Corgan Associates and Technical Glass Products (TGP). For the curtain wall facade, TGP specified sharp-corner rectangular hollow sections as facade mullions: a geometry that maximises the glass area visible from outside by reducing the frame footprint to the minimum structurally achievable. Montanstahl was commissioned to produce the carbon steel posts in extra-long lengths of precisely 12,529 mm, meeting the AESS (Architecturally Exposed Structural Steel) quality standard and shipping them across the Atlantic in a 45-foot open container.
Why Sharp-Corner RHS Sections Are Specified for AESS Facades
Standard hot-finished hollow sections have rounded corners produced by the rolling process. In architecturally exposed applications where the structural frame is visible and the junction with glazing is close-tolerance, rounded corners read as imprecise and reduce the effective glass area. Sharp-corner rectangular hollow sections produced by laser welding from plate eliminate this compromise: the 90-degree corner geometry is consistent along the full length of the section, the visible face is flat and clean, and the frame dimension can be held to the minimum the structural calculation allows. For a public building of the scale and profile of the Moody Performance Hall, this difference is visible in the finished facade.
12,529 mm Mullions: Fabrication, Finish, and Overseas Shipping
Montanstahl produced the mullions by laser cutting strips from carbon steel plate and laser welding them into the specified rectangular hollow section geometry. The cut length of 12,529 mm was held precisely across the full production run, a requirement driven by the modular coordination of the curtain wall system on site. After fabrication, the sections were grit shot blasted to the specified surface condition. To protect the finish during the transatlantic shipment, each post was individually wrapped in seaworthy tar paper before being loaded into a 45-foot open container, a packing and logistics solution developed specifically for the length and surface quality requirements of this order.
Application Context
This project is part of Montanstahl’s architecture, building and construction segment, where laser welded sharp-corner hollow sections are specified for curtain walls, structural glazing systems, and facades where AESS quality and reduced frame dimensions are requirements of the design. The Moody Performance Hall is one of a number of major public buildings in the United States and internationally where Montanstahl has supplied custom facade profiles to architectural specifications that standard mill sections cannot meet. Projects of this type are produced to order and shipped worldwide.