Custom Metal Applications Archives - Astro Sheet Metal

Architectural Metals for North Texas Healthcare Construction

Eric Johnson — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 14:57:43 +0000

Healthcare construction is active across North Texas, and the projects range from enormous medical campuses to neighborhood hospitals, medical office buildings, specialty clinics, and renovations inside operating facilities.

The most visible example is the new Dallas pediatric campus being developed by Children’s Health and UT Southwestern Medical Center. The $5 billion campus is under construction in the Southwestern Medical District and is expected to open in 2031. Current plans include approximately 4.9 million square feet of construction, a nearly 2-million-square-foot hospital, 552 inpatient beds, 114 emergency-department rooms, and a 96-room outpatient facility.

At the same time, smaller facilities are being built throughout the region. A new Baylor Scott & White hospital planned for Buckner Terrace in Dallas will include inpatient beds, emergency-department beds and imaging services in approximately 21,700 square feet. Another Baylor Scott & White project near Champions Circle in Fort Worth includes similar services within an approximately 18,250-square-foot facility.

These projects differ dramatically in scale, but they share many of the same architectural priorities: durability, maintainability, efficient movement, clear wayfinding and a finished environment that feels professional and welcoming.

Architectural metals can help meet those objectives in areas ranging from public lobbies to service corridors.

Where Metal Appears in Healthcare Facilities

Most people do not enter a hospital thinking about architectural metal. Nevertheless, it may appear throughout the building in both functional and decorative roles.

Common applications include:

Metal corner guards and wall guards
Column covers
Elevator and door surrounds
Reception desk cladding
Wall and feature panels
Ceiling panels and soffits
Base, trim and transition pieces
Equipment and access panels
Protective cladding in service areas
Exterior panels, copings, fascias and flashings
Canopies and entrance features
Mechanical and equipment screens

These components help create a consistent visual language while protecting areas exposed to regular use.

Metal also works well alongside materials commonly found in healthcare interiors, including glass, solid-surface products, wood, stone and resilient wall finishes. It can be fabricated with brushed, polished, painted or powder-coated finishes to complement the rest of the design.

Sterilization Room, Oklahoma University Children’s Hospital

Healthcare Interiors Take a Beating

Hospitals and medical facilities experience a kind of traffic that is different from most commercial buildings.

Patient beds, wheelchairs, carts, portable equipment, housekeeping machinery and deliveries all move through the same corridors. Corners, door openings, elevator lobbies and service areas are repeatedly exposed to impact.

A standard decorative wall finish may perform well in a waiting room but fail quickly in a service corridor where carts regularly strike the same locations. This is where metal wall protection can earn its place.

Stainless steel corner guards, wall guards and protective panels can be fabricated for specific impact conditions. The material thickness, height, profile and attachment method can be selected according to the actual demands of the area rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all product.

Astro’s previous discussion of custom wall protection notes that standard guards work well for many typical hospital corridors. Custom fabrication becomes valuable when a project requires unusual heights, nonstandard corner angles, heavier gauges or finishes coordinated with nearby architectural elements.

Children’s Hospital of San Antonio – Culinary Servery

Custom Versus Off-the-Shelf Wall Protection

Not every healthcare project needs custom-fabricated corner guards.

For a conventional 90-degree corner with a standard ceiling height and brushed stainless finish, an established Division 10 product may provide the most economical solution. Standard products are readily available, have predictable dimensions and are familiar to installers.

Custom fabrication makes more sense when the building does not conform to catalog dimensions, or when items are needed faster than standard lead times for catalog items allow.

A hospital may have an angled corridor, an oversized column, a floor-to-ceiling protection requirement or a wall guard that must align with adjacent casework. Renovations are especially likely to uncover irregular conditions that cannot be solved cleanly with standard products.

Finish coordination is another reason to consider custom fabrication. A catalog guard may protect the wall but look disconnected from nearby elevator surrounds, column covers or reception-desk cladding. Custom components can use the same material, grain direction and finish so the protective elements feel like part of the architecture rather than something added afterward.

The right decision is not automatically “custom” or “standard.” It is the option that satisfies the performance requirement without creating unnecessary field modification or compromising the design.

Cleaning Requirements Affect Material Selection

Healthcare surfaces must be selected with regular cleaning and maintenance in mind.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends more frequent cleaning and disinfection of high-touch surfaces than minimally touched surfaces. It also emphasizes that healthcare facilities should evaluate surfaces according to room use, patient risk, and the cleaning methods required for the particular environment.

Architectural metal should not be treated as inherently infection-preventing. Its value is more practical: properly detailed metal components can provide durable, accessible surfaces capable of supporting an established facility-maintenance program.

The finish must be compatible with the cleaning products and procedures that will be used. A decorative coating that looks good during design review but cannot tolerate the facility’s maintenance practices is not a successful specification.

The project team should evaluate:

The manufacturer’s cleaning recommendations
Resistance to the anticipated cleaning products
Joint and seam configuration
Exposed fasteners and difficult-to-reach areas
Directional finishes that may show scratches
The ability to repair or replace damaged pieces
Long-term finish consistency

These conversations should occur before fabrication rather than after the building has opened.

Details Matter at Joints and Transitions

Healthcare interiors contain a remarkable number of transitions.

Wall protection may meet a door frame, cabinetry, a handrail, resilient flooring, glazing or a medical-gas enclosure. Column covers may need to accommodate outlets, controls, access panels and base conditions. Reception-desk cladding may intersect with solid-surface countertops, lighting and millwork.

Each intersection creates an opportunity for a gap, alignment problem or awkward field modification.

Shop drawings allow the fabricator to work through these conditions before the metal reaches production. They establish dimensions, materials, gauges, finishes, joint locations and attachment details. They also give other trades a clearer understanding of where their work must stop and the metalwork begins.

The coordination becomes particularly important when multiple metals are visible within one area. Grain direction, panel joints and finish batches must remain consistent. A small variation that goes unnoticed on an isolated trim piece can become obvious when repeated across a long lobby wall or bank of elevators.

Renovations Create Their Own Challenges

Much of North Texas healthcare construction involves renovating or expanding existing facilities rather than starting with an empty site.

Recent registered projects include a pediatric inpatient-floor refresh at Medical City Dallas, an orthopedic-hospital expansion in Carrollton and a healthcare renovation at Baylor Scott & White’s Heart Hospital in Waxahachie.

Renovation work often requires new metal to meet existing conditions that were built years or decades earlier. Original profiles may no longer be available, walls may not be square, and previous renovations may have introduced several different finish standards.

Custom fabrication can help reproduce an existing profile, cover an irregular transition or create a new component that visually connects old and new construction.

Field measurement is especially important in these situations. Architectural drawings may document the intended dimensions, but the completed building is the controlling condition. Producing metal from assumptions can lead to gaps, misaligned joints and pieces that must be remade.

Construction in an Operating Facility Requires Planning

Healthcare renovations frequently occur while portions of the building remain occupied.

That affects delivery, staging and installation. Contractors may have limited access to elevators, loading areas or corridors. Work may need to occur in phases or during restricted hours. Noise, dust and disruption must be controlled according to the facility’s project requirements.

Architectural metal should therefore be packaged and labeled according to the installation sequence. Material for a later phase should not block pieces needed immediately. Components that arrive too early can also be moved repeatedly, increasing the risk of scratches, dents or loss.

Accurate field information and organized delivery help reduce the amount of cutting, modification and decision-making that must occur inside the facility.

The Value of a Local Fabricator

North Texas healthcare work is spread across Dallas, Fort Worth, Frisco, Carrollton, Waxahachie and the surrounding communities. A regional fabrication partner can provide practical advantages when a project requires field verification, phased deliveries or a quick response to an unexpected condition.

Astro Sheet Metal has fabricated custom architectural metals from its Grand Prairie shop since 1967. Its work ranges from fabrication-only orders for brake metal, wall protection and custom shapes to complete turnkey scopes that include site visits, field measurement, shop drawings, fabrication, delivery and installation.

Healthcare buildings must serve patients, families, medical professionals and facility teams for many years. The best architectural metalwork supports that mission without calling unnecessary attention to itself. It protects vulnerable areas, coordinates cleanly with surrounding materials and continues to look appropriate after years of demanding use.

For assistance with an architectural metals project in the Dallas-Fort Worth or Austin market, contact Astro Sheet Metal at 972-438-1110 or visit astrosheetmetal.com/contact.

The post Architectural Metals for North Texas Healthcare Construction appeared first on Astro Sheet Metal.

Partnering in Precision: Why Design-Assist Is Essential for Custom Architectural Metalwork

Eric Johnson — Sat, 04 Oct 2025 17:19:00 +0000

When working on high-end architectural and interior projects, the stakes are high: timelines are tight, tolerances are narrow, and every detail matters. At Astro, we believe Design-Assist is not just a service — it’s a philosophy: integrating fabrication expertise early to reduce risk, improve quality, and deliver design intent without compromise.

What Is Design-Assist — and Why It Matters

Design-Assist means bringing your metal fabricator into the conversation during schematic or early design phases — not after everything is decided. The benefits include:

Identifying challenges in materials, finishes, and connections before they become site problems
Suggesting design revisions or simplifications to streamline producibility
Locking in tolerances, interfaces, and detailing across trades (e.g. millwork, stone, glass)

Reviewing concept feasibility from both design and fabrication standpoints

When you bring Astro on board early, you get fewer surprises, fewer RFIs, and smoother installations.

High-Impact Use Cases

Design-Assist adds the most value when your project includes:

Complex architectural elements combining different materials (metal + wood, glass, stone)
Feature walls, cladding, or framed systems with tight alignment requirements
Integrated cabinetry, countertops, or millwork with metal trim
Exterior metal facades or metal rain screen systems where performance and appearance converge

In such cases, coordination among design, engineering, and fabrication is critical — the earlier, the better.

Best Practices & Process Steps

To gain maximum value from Design-Assist, follow these steps:

Involve fabrication in Schematic / Concept Design
Let Astro review your early designs to identify risks or optimizations.
Share rough models or sketches
Providing even preliminary 3D or section sketches helps us visualize constraints.
Iterate collaboratively on detailing
We’ll help refine how metals meet other materials, reveal lines, support structure, and fasteners.
Make mockups or prototypes
Small-scale models reveal challenges in finish, transitions, or tolerances.
Finalize shop drawings together
Freeze dimensions and sequences before production begins so site issues are minimized.
Maintain communication through construction
We continue collaborating as issues arise in coordination or installation.

Why Astro Brings Unique Value

At Astro, we don’t just build from your drawings — we help shape them. By integrating design insight, fabrication knowledge, and field experience, we provide:

Proactive design feedback that saves time and cost
Connection planning and hidden anchoring strategies
Integration of finishes and transition detailing
A collaborative approach so the vision survives through construction

“Design-Assist changes the conversation from reactive to proactive,” says Steve Paxton, President of Astro. “When fabricators, architects, and millworkers work together from day one, we avoid costly surprises, preserve design integrity, and deliver metal elements that install with precision—exactly as envisioned.”

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The Modern Hearth: Redefining Fireplace Design with Custom Metal Cladding

Eric Johnson — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 17:02:36 +0000

Fireplaces have long been more than just heat sources — they anchor rooms, draw attention, and symbolize comfort. At Astro, we believe the fireplace surround should be as intentional and refined as every other architectural surface. With custom metal cladding, a once-prosaic detail can be transformed into a signature design highlight.

Why Metal is the Ideal Material for Fireplace Surrounds

Custom metal cladding offers more than just aesthetic appeal. The advantages for architectural interiors include:

Heat resistance + durability: Metals like stainless steel, brass, or blackened steel can be engineered to withstand thermal stress over time.
Design freedom: From seamless panels to artistic reliefs or patterns, the level of customization is practically unlimited.
Material harmony: Metal can mingle seamlessly with stone, wood, plaster, or masonry; it adapts well in transition zones.
Timeless quality: A well-finished metal surround ages with grace — whether you want it to patina or retain crispness.

By choosing metal, designers get a material that’s both expressive and robust.

Choosing Materials That Match the Vision

At Astro, we guide architects in selecting the right metal for the design intent:

Brass – Warm, luxurious, and capable of developing a subtle patina over time (or being sealed to preserve shine).
Stainless Steel – Sleek, contemporary, and ideal for clean modern or commercial interiors.
Blackened / oxidized steel – Offers moody, darker tones that work beautifully with natural and rustic interiors.

Because we control fabrication in-house, we can fine-tune finishes, textures, and transitions to align with the overall material palette.

Seamless Integration with Surrounding Architecture

A great metal surround doesn’t stand alone — it must integrate with adjacent finishes. At Astro, we consider:

Transition detailing: How does the metal meet stone, wood, plaster, or masonry without visible seams?
Concealed systems: Hidden fasteners or flush reveals maintain clean sightlines.
Finish continuity: Matching patina, tone, or texture with other metal elements in the space.
Structural support: Ensuring that the metal and substrate are engineered to handle heat, weight, and movement.

By coordinating closely with architects, millworkers, and general contractors, we make sure the surround feels like an integral piece — not an afterthought.

Performance Under Heat: Fabrication Best Practices

A beautiful surround must also perform. Here’s how Astro ensures durability:

Use insulating backing or fire-resistant substrate where needed.
Choose coatings and finishes that tolerate heat cycles and resist discoloration.
Build in tolerances for thermal expansion, especially around the firebox or insert opening.
Test mockups to refine spacing, clearances, and visual effects.

Early involvement in the design process allows us to spot challenges before fabrication and guide thoughtful detailing.

“Transforming a fireplace into a true architectural focal point takes close attention to both aesthetics and engineering,” says Steve Paxton, President of Astro. “With our custom metal cladding capabilities, we bring creative patterns, heat performance, and seamless integration into play—ensuring each fireplace is not just functional, but iconic in the space.”

That balance of creative vision and technical execution is core to how Astro approaches every metal surround.

The post The Modern Hearth: Redefining Fireplace Design with Custom Metal Cladding appeared first on Astro Sheet Metal.