Mesa is a Mecca for Steel, Thanks to Local Artist

Trust.

Such a simple word but one with implications that pervade every avenue down which life takes us.

For William Barnhart of Mesa, AZ, the word acts as his starting block-a place from which he positions his intentions and gains stability in the knowing that he will emerge from the empty spaces and chaos of color and textures with a painting, sculpture, or print that speaks a language in a way that is unique to him but understood by many.

But while he takes creative expression seriously, a look around his studio space tells the story of an artist with a lighthearted sense of humor that has never lost touch with the childhood wonder of his youth.

Trust can actually be seen in his studio because he etched the word into the start of the glass catwalk that stretches to a VW Bus mounted 12' off the floor that has been converted into a bedroom with its own power supply, air conditioning, television, and skylight.

"It is quite disorienting for some people to walk on the glass catwalk, and they automatically look down to try to orient themselves,"says Barnhart. "That is why I etched the word Trust into the glass at the start of the catwalk-and when they ultimately make it across safely to the end of the catwalk and are just about to step off, they read the second thing I etched into the glass-75 lb Max (the two pieces of tempered glass that make up the walkway actually hold 5,000 lbs).”

Barnhart began construction on his studio in 2005 and finished in 2008. Located about five miles from his home, his studio is 3,700 + square feet with 28' ceilings and complete with a rock climbing wall, bathroom, shower, fireman's pole, the VW Bus, loft space, office, and gallery. A 1,500 lb arched steel and concrete-ball entry gate gently pivots across the driveway to the front, and there is a lushly planted xeriscaped sculpture garden in the back. All the glass and steel plus various additional materials that together form his studio are used or recycled.

The building is unmistakable from the outside with its 12' concrete block wall supporting a Quonset-style arched steel roofing system which Barnhart bought from SteelMaster Buildings in Virginia Beach, VA. Barnhart chose this specific style and material for the studio's roofing system for nostalgic reasons.

"While in college we had a few professors who went to bat for us students to find us studio space,"remembers Barnhart. "One spot they came up with was a Quonset hut-the Geology department used the bottom floor to store rocks, and we used the loft space as a studio. I fell in love with the building and the arched space. With my current studio, I wanted a really tall space so that if I wanted to create a 25' sculpture I can. The SteelMaster roofing system makes that possible.”

For more than 29 years, SteelMaster Buildings has manufactured, designed, and supplied pre-fabricated arched steel structures to 40,000 customers located in every state of the United States, in 40 countries, and on seven continents around the world.

Michelle Wickum is the director of marketing for SteelMaster and says that Barnhart made a wise decision when he chose to build his second garage with steel.

"Steel does not rot, warp, shrink, or split, and it is non-combustible,"says Wickum. "SteelMaster buildings are easier to handle, stronger, and less expensive than any other common garage building materials. Steel's inherent strength resists fire, earthquake, and hurricane damage. Steel components weigh up to 60 percent less than wood members, and all steel products are repeatedly recyclable.”

In addition, Wickum says that the arch design of the building as well as the clear-span, truss-less interior provides people with the option to customize the building however they like.

Barnhart says he really did his research before deciding upon buying from SteelMaster.

"I contacted about every company there is that makes them and requested materials and price quotes,"says Barnhart. "A SteelMaster representative sent me this book that contained dimensions, drawings, engineering specs-it was at least 60-80 pages long! Their pricing was very competitive. When I saw that SteelMaster exclusively provided NASA with all of its Quonset hut buildings, I was sold-that is a very big deal and says a lot about the company and its products.”

Barnhart's studio is not open to the general public, so if anyone is interested in seeing the dynamics of his building from the inside including his gallery, which holds many pieces of his art, they should visit his website.

People who finds themselves at the Transit Shelter at Superstition Spring Mall in Mesa just need to look around to view Barnhart's work that cannot be found in his gallery.

"I received a call from the head of transportation for the city who wanted to come and take a look at my studio,"says Barnhart. "He told me about the Transit Station project and asked me if I would be interested in being the lead designer and point person for the project-which of course I was. I was assisted by TranSystems and their Architectural and Engineering team, as well as a host of others to bring this project to fruition.”

The Station sits on a site more than 600' long, which is surrounded by more than 1,200 linear feet of fencing, and will accommodate five double busses at once. It is designed to service five local bus routes, and the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) which is part of the Light Rail System in the valley. More information on the Station can be found here.

The Transit Station recently won the prestigious "Crescordio Award"for Environmental Excellence in 2010, partially due to its innovative use of sustainable and recyclable materials, and the integration of desert fauna into the design of the Station, and esthetic components. The Station features a green, or "living roof"planted with desert cacti.

Barnhart incorporated two SteelMaster buildings into the Station-the big arch that serves as a breezeway and the other as a driver relief station.

"The year of 2009 was a whirlwind of activity in the studio,"says Barnhart. "Not only did I design the Station, but all of the esthetic and artistic components of the project were fabricated and installed by me and my team. It was a huge undertaking, but definitely worth it. I know that I can't go wrong with a SteelMaster, and I recommended them to quite a few people. Their customer service is great, and I love the product and the fact that I can use it in non-traditional ways. With a product this good, there are no limits to the possibilities.”

In addition to studios and transit stations, SteelMaster's steel and metal pre-engineered buildings are designed for a broad range of residential and commercial applications including homes, farm buildings, garages, workshops, agricultural storage, Quonsets, airplane hangars, RV storage, roofing systems, carports, military buildings, commercial warehousing, and industrial storage as well as a wide variety of custom building applications including athletic facilities, retail stores, churches, bus stops, smoke shacks, doggie dorms, and correctional facilities.