This month, we feature a project that went to the far reaches of northern Canada. More and more recently, Mall Silks is being contracted to build custom designed projects. A recent one was for a design firm based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Westwind Design contacted Mall Silks at the beginning of June 2009 with their design to have a custom “Forest Theme” exhibit built for a very important taxidermy exhibit in northwest Canada. The exhibit was to be installed at the end of July. Given the faster than normal lead time, plans had to be finalized quickly and production started – ASAP. 

After the design was finalized, the Mall Silks production team determined how it would need to be built. The display was built using thick plywood as the base.  Steel rods fastened to base plates were custom made to make base plates for the trees. These plates were used to hold the trees upright. The tree trunks were bored out to slide over the steel rods so that the trees looked as if they are growing right out of the forest floor. The entire surface of the plywood was covered with foam and carved to look like a forest floor. After the tree bases and lower foliage were added, the entire surface was covered with preserved moss. Simulated rocks, artificial grasses and shrubs finished of the lower part of the feature. 

The Westwind design team wanted the display to look like a Canadian forest in the fall. So, several Birch trees with fall colored artificial leaves, made to various heights, were made using real Birch trunks. Fall aspen bushes and fall color meadow grass were also used. Several sizes of Pine trees simulating Canadian pine trees were made using real pine trunks and artificial pine foliage. The trees and bushes were made at various heights according to the design provided.  The entire display had to be made in 4' wide sections as well in order to transport it and get it into a building easily. Altogether there are 7 sections to the display. Our design team worked at it on and off for about 2 weeks and it shipped out on time for the installation. Once at the final destination, the preserved animals were added to the display. The exhibit is displayed at the “End of Steel” Museum at the furthest northwestern-most point of train track in Canada – almost 2500 miles away from Pittsburgh! With our growing expertise and strict standards of quality, we are confident that Mall Silks will continue to provide more and more solutions for our future clients with custom built projects. 

Click here to go to our contact web-page - http://www.mallsilks.com/contact.htm or e-mail sales@mallsilks.com