Rosa Parks Metro Station, LA

Project Overview

The Willowbrook / Rosa Parks Station Improvement Project transformed one of Metro Los Angeles’ busiest transit hubs into a modern multimodal transportation center serving the A and C Lines. The comprehensive renovation included a new Civic Plaza, Metro Customer Service Center, Security Facility, Mobility Hub, expanded platforms, enhanced pedestrian circulation, and significant architectural improvements designed to better connect the station with the surrounding community.

CSI Architectural Metal Scope

CSI Architectural Metal served as the project’s technical design-assist partner, providing engineering support and architectural metal expertise from the earliest stages of design through fabrication and installation coordination.

Rather than simply fabricating zinc panels, CSI worked alongside the architect, VMZINC, and Weiss Sheet Metal to develop a complete, buildable exterior envelope system that balanced architectural intent with long-term performance.

Our scope included:

Architectural zinc design assist
Waterproofing membrane integration
Ventilated rainscreen development
Thermal movement engineering
Expansion and contraction detailing
Fabrication detailing
Attachment system development
Shop drawing assistance
Installation detailing
Constructability reviews
Coordination between architect, installer and material manufacturer
Technical consulting regarding proper architectural zinc applications

CSI also authored and developed project-specific specifications for the architectural zinc façade and roofing systems, including weather barriers, flashing membranes, ventilation requirements, concealed clip attachment systems, waterproofing interfaces, quality assurance procedures, and installation standards.

Engineering Through Experience

One of CSI’s primary responsibilities was ensuring the architectural vision could be successfully fabricated and installed while maintaining long-term durability.

During design development, CSI recommended:

Smaller flat-lock zinc panel dimensions, or
A heavier zinc gauge

to reduce the visual effects of thermal movement and improve long-term panel flatness. The architect ultimately selected larger-format panels to achieve the desired architectural expression. While different from CSI’s original recommendation, the completed project successfully realized the design vision and remains an excellent example of contemporary architectural zinc construction.

Building Envelope Expertise

CSI’s contribution extended well beyond panel fabrication.

Working directly with the architect and installer, CSI helped refine details involving:

Waterproofing transitions
Ventilation behind the zinc façade
Moisture management
Thermal expansion
Concealed attachment systems
Flashing assemblies
Panel layout optimization
Fabrication sequencing
Installation methodology
Long-term serviceability

The resulting façade combines architectural aesthetics with proven building-envelope principles developed through decades of architectural metal experience.

Technical Leadership

CSI believes the greatest value is created before fabrication begins.

By participating early in the design process, we help architects transform ambitious concepts into durable, buildable, and maintainable building envelope systems.

Our philosophy is to recommend the technically correct solution—even when it means recommending a different material.

A notable example occurred during this project, when CSI advised against using zinc for built-in gutters. In consultation with VMZINC, we recommended 316L stainless steel for those applications because built-in gutters are not covered under the VMZINC warranty, whereas external gutters are suitable for zinc. This recommendation reflected CSI’s commitment to long-term performance over product sales.

Project Highlights