Boasting nearly 77 years of experience in the local transportation sector as a member of a well known structural conglomerate – it is an understatement to say that our new associate brings strength and stability to the ranks and dominates the boardroom with authority and weight. We got our hands on a portion of the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge to serve as our new conference table!
After the eastern span of the Bay Bridge was decommissioned in 2013, one of our colleagues Daniel Krivens ( http://www.krivens.com) had the acumen to rescue several massive, riveted lattice beams that had served as wind-bracing underneath the bridge’s road decking. With a small 1,800 lb. section of one of those beams, our own Kevin Likens designed and fabricated a conference table worthy of its heritage.
The bridge opened in 1936 (six months before her cousin the Golden Gate Bridge), and served trains (until 1967), trucks, and automobiles (up to 240,000 per day). The eastern portion of the bridge that was decommissioned in 2013 predominately comprised a 1,400 foot long, 40 million pound cantilever span – the longest in the United States and 3rd longest in the world.
The table’s design concept is simple: begin with the existing form of the riveted steel beam as it lived for 76 years (sandblasted to bare metal); cut it in two, and tilt the halves into a V shape; pry the flanges and lattice web slightly apart to afford more width at the top; slice the horizontal surfaces; and weld it back together again. Stainless steel stand-offs provide leveling for the glass surface and suspend it floating gently over the polished, cut ends of the steel. With a simple finish of wax on the raw steel, the result is a breathtaking homage to the original – bold and iconic in its own right.
Shortly after arriving in San Francisco 19 years ago, Kevin began his design trajectory working in local art-house metal fabrication shops. When he became weary of making tangible the creative output of other designers, he took leave to earn a Master’s of Architecture degree. Joining Revel right out of school, Kevin has been inhabiting the design end of the spectrum and yearning for quite some time to get back into the shop and get his hands dirty. We’re glad he did. See more photos at www.kevinlikens.com/417-conference-table