IT Gym

Hoffman Estates, Illinois

Custom Fabrication

General Contractor

Sheet Metal Werks, Inc.
Arlington Heights, Illinois

When the owners of IT Gym designed the interior of their new facility in the northwest Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, they ended up transforming what’s normally a functional subsystem into a striking design element. Instead of fabricating HVAC ductwork from the ordinary aluminum or steel, they asked fabricator Sheet Metal Werks to make them out of copper.

The results created a “unique look” that "shines like a diamond," Sheet Metal Werks president Kevin Ryan told SMACNEWS. "It has such a unique aesthetic look that it really does transform the space," he added. The unusual aesthetic also captured the imagination of the online community, garnering over half a million views on LinkedIn.

To make the spiral ducts and fittings, Ryan’s team spent about 60 hours on fabrication. The inherent formability of copper proved easier to work with than other metals, and the same proved true for installation.

Photo Credit: Kevin Ryan

Photo Credit: Kevin Ryan

Photo Credit: Kevin Ryan

Photo Credit: Kevin Ryan

Photo Credit: Kevin Ryan