Laser-cut triangles of weathering metal make up many of the giant racoon physique that now stands in Rainbow Raccoon Park in Millvale, Pa. Filip Agren of Normal & Customized created the sculpture. Triad Metals, Pittsburgh, donated the metal for the venture; BelleFlex Applied sciences, Ford Metropolis, Pa., laser-cut the metal; and West Penn Laco, Millvale, donated welding provides. The Henry L Hillman Basis supplied funding for the venture. Photos: Filip Agren
Raccoons in city areas aren’t too uncommon. These resilient creatures have tailored fairly properly to metropolis dwelling. There’s a purpose a few of them are finest described as chonky.
In Rainbow Raccoon Park in Millvale, Pa., throughout the river from Pittsburgh, yow will discover the chonkiest raccoon of all of them. The 12.5-ft.-tall, virtually 5,000-lb. raccoon arrived on Oct. 14 and hasn’t left. Given the welcome it obtained from native residents, the raccoon actually has no purpose to go away. An area knitting group even made a large scarf for the sculpture to put on throughout a debut occasion held a number of days after set up.
“The suggestions has been superb. The group loves it,” mentioned Filip Agren, the artistic power and steel fabricator behind the venture.
Agren is a 2011 graduate in structure from Carnegie Mellon College. Leaning on his previous woodworking expertise and welding expertise he picked up working within the college lab, he began Normal & Customized, a designer and fabricator of architectural merchandise and customized furnishings, in 2013. The raccoon, nevertheless, was his first actual foray into giant outside sculptures.
“Somebody simply despatched me the RFP. I wasn’t conscious of it by myself, however someone type of tipped me off about it,” Agren recalled. “I believed it appeared like a cool alternative, so I went forward, did my design, and submitted it. Then I ended up successful the competitors.”
The Millvale Neighborhood Improvement Corp. was searching for a centerpiece for its new park, which previously was a plot of land suffering from junk. With the park already bearing the title of everybody’s favourite nocturnal neighbors—due to a vote by native college students—the raccoon construction made sense.
Setting up the Raccoon
Upon being notified that his design received the competition in February 2025, Agren started the fabrication course of. He used 0.25-in. weathering metal, a corrosion-resistant steel that develops a brown oxidation layer as it’s uncovered to the weather over time. Agren famous that he selected metal not solely for sturdiness but in addition as an homage to Pittsburgh’s steelmaking heritage.
From a design standpoint, he needed to go together with a polygon mesh mannequin method, a nod to video gaming. (A polygon is a 2D closed geometric form fashioned by three or extra straight, connecting sides. Online game builders like poly mesh design as a result of 3D objects created with a restricted variety of polygons assist cell video games and digital actuality run easily, being simpler to course of than extra reasonable fashions.) Consequently, many of the 600 components used within the raccoon construction are triangles.
“This venture was primarily digitally fabricated,” Agren mentioned. “We had a 3D mannequin, and I might lay out all the items flat. We had all the items laser-cut, and I had a numbering system to assist me piece them collectively like a puzzle.
“I needed to start out off with the smallest stuff first, so I constructed the fingers and the ft at first. Then got here the ears, the snout, and the mouth. From there, I did the top and the tail,” he continued. “I step by step constructed up all of those components after which lastly might begin placing the physique collectively, which was by far probably the most difficult half.”
Filip Agren works on the top of the raccoon sculpture.
Agren used MIG welds to tack up the totally different physique components after which adopted that up with full welds on exterior joints and a few inside welds for reinforcement.
“Fortunately, if you work with triangles, they type of triangulate their very own ultimate place,” he mentioned.
Trying Ahead to Extra Tasks
The raccoon venture got here at an opportune time for Agren. In 2021, he opened Gallery AFK in Braddock, Pa., to attach extra along with his artistic aspect and showcase the work of different artists. He’s now hoping to pursue different steel sculpture work if new alternatives come up.
These concerned about discovering out extra about Agren’s expertise can simply examine in with the enormous raccoon at 533 E. Ohio St. in Millvale. It’s not going anyplace anytime quickly.
“It ought to outlive me,” Agren mentioned. “I’m fairly assured it can.”
The raccoon sculpture heads to its residence in Millvale. The tail needed to be welded to the raccoon’s physique on the park as a result of the sculpture wouldn’t match on the lowboy trailer in its accomplished type.
