News: Spelunking in New York City: CCTI Brings Zaha Hadid’s “Stalactites” to Life.

Bath, Maine: The internationally acclaimed firm of Zaha Hadid Architects tapped Custom Composite Technologies to produce a set of 18 stalactites-a first for the decade-old Maine manufacturer. "Stalactites" is one of two fiberglass installations that CCTI fabricated for a Hadid exhibition that opened at New York's Sonnabend Gallery on November 1, 2008.

Zaha Hadid is known as an innovative architect who constantly tests the boundaries of architecture, urbanism and design. In the Sonnabend exhibition, "the spatial representations of her pieces redefine the notion of physical space by warping, pulling and pushing the boundaries of the galleries until the viewer is left with architectonic interpretations that create new and unfamiliar interior landscapes," in the words of the exhibition's organizer, Kenny Schacter. No matter how you describe it, the show breaks new ground, foreshadowing a hybrid: architectural art.

CCTI had just six weeks to fabricate the massive, "Stalactites" (the sculpture fills a 20'X20' room) and "Relief 1," which is mounted to a 20-plus foot wall. "They gave us the AutoCAD drawings and we hit the ground running," says company president, Steve Hassett. As the lead contractor, Steve cherry-picked a team that included players from Maine to Florida and notes, "I couldn't have done it without their help. Everyone went the extra mile to do whatever it took, working day and night to get it done."

Creating the two mega-works involved cutting numerous intricate shapes all of which were joined in the composite phase. The CNC cutting was split between Maine shop, Janseneering, and Florida-based, Mollicam. From Maine, the pieces were driven to Rhode Island to receive their signature, high-gloss finish, courtesy of Itchiban Yacht Painters. "The paint was still drying as the installations traveled from Itchiban to New York," says Hassett.

Figuring out how to install "Stalactites" was the next challenge. "We came up with three mounting scenarios just to cover all the bases, because there was no time to spare," says Hassett. In the end they used elements of all three. "There was nothing but sheetrock hanging from the ceiling of the gallery, so we had to create a structurally sound mount that could support the eighteen individual stalactites. It was like putting a giant jigsaw puzzle together upside down, working with pieces that weighed hundreds of pounds." In the end, bolts were integrated in the tops of the stalactites and the larger ones were actually screwed into the ceiling.

Now that CCTI can add "Stalactites" to their portfolio, they're looking forward to the next challenge. The company has expanded its efforts to penetrate new markets, including renewable energy, infrastructure and architecture. "The great thing about working with advanced composites is their flexibility for a wide range of applications," says Hassett. "They're ultra-lightweight, ultra-strong and can be used to build virtually anything you can think of. The sky's the limit."