Metfab Metals, LLC

MEMBER:

 “Glass Shoes”: Another Specialty of Metfab Metals

In our industry, no one thinks the above term refers to footwear. These “shoes” are, of course, assemblies of structural steel supports holding specialty glass firmly in place and intended to be secured to building surfaces to safely form see-through barriers that project the desired esthetic look designed. Walls, transparent escalator barriers, balcony enclosures or office partitions are examples of the functions that “glass shoes” can fulfill to securely hold in place the specialty glass chosen.

Current shop pictures (above) illustrate our work producing such precision assemblies (“glass shoes”) for the designed fastening of glass walls, partitions, escalator enclosures and more now at 66 Hudson Boulevard (The “Spiral”), as part of our continuing work at the mega-project at Hudson Yards, in New York City. Note the aluminum track (on the left) into which the glass “sits” which can be field-adjusted as needed. These outer shoes are fabricated from 1.25” thick stainless-steel stock (type 316) to provide the strength required and to conform to the design specs. These shoes are being finished in a “non-directional polish” and will be installed on 115 balconies from the 40th floor up, incorporating 8’ vertical glass panels, facing west, thereby providing an unobstructed view of the Hudson River and beyond.

Dramatic examples of similar “shoes” are seen below as these fastening fixtures on the “Skywalk”, a shelf of super-strong transparent flooring and glass vertical rail-panels allowing visitors to walk as if in mid-air @70 feet out into, and about 4000 feet above, the bottom of the Grand Canyon itself in Arizona. “Glass Shoes” are securing all the glass panels there that form this safe enclosure to prevent these bold venturers from tripping over the edge into the abyss so far below. Yikes!!!

[Courtesy of Grand Canyon West Rim Tours of Las Vegas]

Obviously, these securing devices (and ours) are very precisely engineered----and fabricated with a very high degree of Quality Control input. While we did not supply the fasteners for this Grand Canyon Shelf, we are currently doing so for another job at Hudson Yards in Manhattan.

We are happy to be the “shoe” fabricator/supplier for Coordinated Metals, Inc of Carlstadt, NJ and their continuing work at the designated 66 Hudson Boulevard (“The Spiral”), a jobsite at which we also earlier supplied miscellaneous fabricated metals parts & assemblies. These common and gusseted assemblies (“glass shoes”) form another product line in which Metfab Metals has now acquired broad experience and expertise. Not every metals shop can legitimately make that claim.

Keep us in mind for all your steel fabrication jobs, no matter the
configuration of the building, its scope, location, content, sophistication
or specifications, including "glass shoes".

Jim Murray, C.O.O.                                          973-675-7676   

 

Don't forget:  We always offer to work with our customers from the
job "concept" stage to anticipate issues before fabrication, to suggest
better ways to order, extrude, cut, drill, paint, finish, even stageand
deliver and ------  and always to save time and money