COMMERCIAL WORK
A Focal Point With Real Function
Challenge
Some projects announce themselves the moment you see them—this was one of those. Three structural beams, each a different size and angle, cut directly through the middle of a massive countertop with waterfall ends. The task? Make it look as though the counter had been poured in place, wrapping seamlessly around the beams and cascading cleanly to the floor. The setting raised the stakes even higher: UW Madison’s new, architecturally striking CDIS building. In the professors’ lounge—complete with a full kitchen, breakout spaces, and a soaring two-story atrium framed by glass walls—this counter was the very first thing to greet faculty as they walked in. It couldn’t just be good; it had to be flawless, because the drama of the design demanded perfection.
Solution
Precision started at the template stage. Using advanced software paired with laser technology, the beams were captured right at the critical intersections where they passed through the LG HI-MACS solid surface countertops. The process was fully automated: the laser, working with the software, recognized the intended plane of the countertop—even though it didn’t physically exist yet—and recorded measurements around each beam at half-inch intervals. The accuracy was so sharp that, during final editing, it revealed a subtle detail invisible to the eye: one of the steel flanges wasn’t perfectly straight. By catching it early, adjustments could be baked into the design, ensuring the finished counters hugged the beams as if the solid surface had been poured around them from the very start.
Results
The completed installation hit the exact balance of engineering and design the project demanded. The LG HI-MACS counters flowed cleanly around all three structural beams, giving the impression that the surface had been poured in place rather than cut and fit. The waterfall ends dropped to the floor with crisp precision, anchoring the massive piece as the focal point of the professors’ lounge. Thanks to the accuracy of the digital templating, even the slight imperfections in the steel beams were accounted for, resulting in joints so tight they disappeared into the design. The outcome was both dramatic and refined—a showpiece that greets faculty with a sense of innovation and craftsmanship the moment they walk into the space.
