Archinect - News

10 examples of metal in architecture we liked this week

2024-10-12T08:00:00-04:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Metal.

Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles.

↑ Heungkuk Tower in Busan, South Korea, by Mecanoo; Photo: Kyungsub Shin

↑ Canyon House in Salt Lake City, UT, by Sparano + Mooney Architecture; Photo: Dustin Aksland

↑ The Copper Coil in Rostock, Germany, by Sehw Architektur; Photo: Philipp Obkircher

↑ Liminal House in West Vancouver, Canada, by Mcleod Bovell Modern Houses; Photo: Hufton + Crow

↑ 436 Indiana Street House in Lawrence, KS, by Studio 804; Photo: Corey Gaffer, Gaffer Photography

↑ Free Rhapsody of Folding Villa in Shaoxing, China, by LYCS Architecture

↑ Mariposa Land Port of Entry in Nogales, AZ, by Jones Studio

↑ CAMPout in Lake Tahoe, CA, by Faulkner Architects...

Montreal's new botanical garden entrance pavilion was designed to disappear into the environment

2024-06-04T15:24:00-04:00

Montreal-based firm Pelletier de Fontenay has designed a new entrance pavilion at the Montreal Botanical Garden. This project comes alongside the revitalization of the Garden’s insectarium and the entrance to the surrounding Parc Maisonneuve.

Image: James Brittain

The pavilion was developed in collaboration with a team of landscape architects from the City of Montreal’s Urban Parks Division and the firm Lemay. The main challenge of the project was to better orient and guide visitors towards the insectarium and botanical garden, while respecting the cultural heritage of the site.

Image: James Brittain

The firm drew inspiration from 18th- and 19th-century English gardens, specifically the romantic image of the overgrown ruin and how it reflects a close relationship between the built and natural world. The pavilion, purposefully limited in scale, will progressively blend into its surroundings, becoming an infrastructure for greenery, insects, birds, and small animals.

Image: James Brit...

SO – IL shares facade details of forthcoming Nine Chapel residences in Brooklyn

2024-05-28T15:37:00-04:00

SO – IL’s next NYC residential project is wrapping up for client Tankhouse. Their design for the 14-story, 53,820-square-foot Nine Chapel residences features a perforated metallic facade system that reflects both seasons and the sun’s position while creating a permeable veil for the loggias and front porch entrances for each home on Chapel Street in Downtown Brooklyn.

Image credit: Jonathan Hokklo

“The drama of the building’s exterior is apparent even from far away. The opportunity here was less about how we fit into an existing fabric, and more about how we define this little spot in the city,” Tankhouse’s co-founder Sam Alison-Mayne says of the design.

Image credit: Valeria Flores

“The undulated metal facade is designed, configured, and textured to allow for different experiences, depending on from which angle it’s viewed, and the time of day. When walking behind it, you can feel the air coming through. If you see it from the street, it reflects in various ways — all thanks to the q...

Five metal facades by Richärd Kennedy Architects: Your Next Employer?

2023-08-14T12:58:00-04:00

Following last week’s visit to New York-based 1100 Architect, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to Phoenix, AZ this week to explore the work of Richärd Kennedy Architects.

Founded in 1996, the firm has amassed a portfolio “predicated on the idea that sustainable design permeates every level of the work, from site to landscape, building envelope, building systems, interior spaces, and furnishings.” Among the firm’s accolades to date are the American Institute of Architects “National Honor Award” for Architecture and an “Emerging Voice” by the Architectural League of New York.

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring for several positions. For candidates interested in applying for a position, or anybody interested in learning more about the studio’s work, we have rounded up five projects with metal facades by Richärd Kennedy Architects that demonstrate their design approach.

Environmental and Natural Resources II (ENR II). Photo credits: Bill Timmerman, Liam...

Biden administration imposes 200% tariff on Russian aluminum imports

2023-03-01T11:55:00-05:00

The Biden administration issued another round of tariffs Friday on key industrial goods from Russia — including a 200% tariff on aluminum — as the country’s invasion of Ukraine crosses the one-year mark. Aluminum tariffs were announced in addition to $2.7 billion in new duties on many metals and raw materials from the country. The tariff rates on most metals and metal products will double from 35% to 70% beginning April, and target “a crucial revenue generating sector of the Russian economy”

Russia is behind China and India the world’s third-largest producer of aluminum and ranks fifth overall in terms of imports of the metal into the United States.

Architects and builders have only recently come out from under 25% steel and aluminum tariffs imposed on certain countries by the Trump administration for reasons of “national security” (e.g. economic protectionism).

The tariffs will go into effect on March 10th. White House officials also cited an increase in Russian aluminum imports through much of last year.

Now Central Park has a (temporary) solid gold cube installation courtesy of a German artist

2022-02-02T17:30:00-05:00

This morning, joggers in New York’s Central Park may have come across a curious, rather illustrious sight. A cube composed of 186 kilograms of pure 24-karat gold, conceived by the German artist Niclas Castello who has billed it as a conceptual “socle du monde” (base of the world) sculpture for our time, was wheeled out to the Naumburg Bandshell this morning at around 5:00am.

The one-day installation has its own security detail and will sit aptly in the Gilded Age landmark designed by Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted before a turn as the guest of honor at a special celebrity-laden private dinner being held later this evening on Wall Street. A special kiln had to be created in order to pour the tremendous volume of 2,012° F melted gold ore required for the 410-pound piece. The dimensions of the cube are about the size of a typical footstool, although its weight means it is worth over $11.7 million according to Wednesday’s market prices.

Photo: Sandra Mika/HoGA Capital AG

The installation coincides with the launch of a new NFT and not-at-all gimmicky cryptocurrency that the artist calls The Costello Coin. The project is meant to “be seen as a sort of communiqué between an emerging 21st-century cultural ecosystem based on crypto and the ancient world where gold reigned supreme.” Some might view its viral social media reaction as a preview of the splas...

BIG imagines a future for metal production on land and sea

2021-05-18T12:18:00-04:00

Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has unveiled their design for the future of metal production, combining land and sea-based elements. Collaborating with The Metals Company, a developer of lower-impact battery metals from seafloor rocks, BIG sought to bring innovative, sustainable, whole-system design processes to critical battery metals. The resulting suite of BIG’s designs includes seafloor mineral collector robots, carbon-neutral vessels, and waste-free metals processing and recycling plants to enable a circular supply chain.

Aerial of system. Image: Bjarke Ingels Group

The Metals Company’s production process centers on polymetallic nodules — fist-sized rocks containing battery-grade nickel, cobalt, copper, and manganese found on the ocean floor. BIG’s brief called for an integrated suite of assets that work together to lift nodules off the seafloor and up to a purpose-built production vessel, before transferring them to a hydrodynamic shuttle carrier, and onward to a land-based plant. Th...

10 examples of metal in architecture we liked this week

2021-05-07T13:28:00-04:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Metal.

Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles.

↑ Meinel Optical Sciences Research Lab at the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ by Richärd Kennedy Architects; Photo: Bill Timmerman

↑ Shimao · The Wave in Tianjing, China by Lacime Architects; Photo: CAAI

↑ Yellowstone Residence in Big Sky, MT by Stuart Silk Architects; Photo: Whitney Kamman

↑ L'Equatoria Logements in Rennes, France by Christophe Rousselle Architecte; Photo: Takiju Shimmura

↑ Shaftesbury Theatre in London, UK by Bennetts Associates (the firm was also featured in Archinect's Studio Visits series); Photo: Peter Cook

↑ Moose Road in Hopland, CA by Mork Ulnes Architects (the firm was also featured in Archinec...

10 fresh examples of metal in architecture

2019-11-08T03:00:00-05:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

(Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles!)

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Metal.

↑ Zinc House in Chicago, IL by dSPACE Studio

↑ Longgang Cultural Centre in Shenzhen, China by Mecanoo and CCDI (local architect)

↑ Miner Road in Orinda, CA by Faulkner Architects; Photo: Joe Fletcher

↑ Ray-Mont Logistics in Quebec, Canada by Lemay; Photo: Adrien Williams

↑ 8th Street Market in Bentonville, AR by Hufft

↑ House in Sun Valley, ID by James Merrell Architects P.C.

↑ Liva Riverside Book Bar Reconstruction of East China Normal University in Shanghai, China by Lacime Architects; Photo: Zhang Qianxi, Xu Zhe

↑ Muangthongthani Carcare in Nonthaburi, Thailand by Archimontage Design Fields Sophisticated; Photo: Chaovarit...

10 new examples of metal in architecture

2019-02-01T14:19:00-05:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

(Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles!)

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Metal.

↑ HOME in Paris, France by Hamonic+Masson & Associés with Comte Vollenweider; Photo: Takuji Shimmura/Milène Servelle

↑ House in Peconic Bay, NY by Mapos Architects, DPC

↑ 5300 McConnell in Los Angeles, CA by ShubinDonaldson; Photo: Benny Chan

↑ Natural History Museum of Utah in Salt Lake City, UT by Ennead Architects

↑ Formosa1140 in Los Angeles, CA by Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects; Photo: Lawrence Anderson

↑ SculptureCenter in Long Island City, NY by Andrew Berman Architect; Photo: Michael Moran/OTTO

↑ Rio Vista Residence in Dallas, TX by Buchanan Architecture; Photo: Charles Davis Smith, FAIA

↑ Parametric Car Garage in Berk...

Plans unveiled for Chicago's second tallest skyscraper alongside repurposing the Tribune Tower

2018-04-17T15:59:00-04:00

Developers on Monday unveiled plans for Chicago’s second-tallest skyscraper, a tapering shaft of metal and glass that would soar above historic Tribune Tower, resemble the top of Batman’s black mask and be only 29 feet shorter than Willis Tower. If completed, the $1 billion-plus project to repurpose Tribune Tower and build a skinny, 1,422-foot high-rise just northeast of it would bring more than 700 residences and 200 hotel rooms to an area north of the Chicago River.

Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture are working with Los Angeles developers Golub & Co. and CIM Group to build Chicago's next skyscraper. Their design would take over Trump International Hotel & Tower's title of second-tallest in the city.

Current plans for the new tower have construction beginning in late 2019. The new skyscraper would house a 200 room hotel, 439 rental apartments, and 125 condos in its upper floors. The site would be on what it now a surface parking lot behind Tribune Tower.

Their plans also call for repurposing Tribune Tower with 163 condominiums. This conversion will be headed up by Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB), with Vinci Hamp Architects brought on as historic preservation consultants. The earliest of these condo's would be ready by 2020.

Tribune Tower project rendering, Chicago. Image: Golub & Co. and CIM Group.

First photos of Edoardo Tresoldi's wire mesh cathedrals at Coachella

2018-04-13T14:00:00-04:00

Gates just opened at the 2018 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, and for the next two weekends, droves of festival goers will flock to the small town of Indio, California to see their favorite bands, performers (Beyoncé, anyone?)—and a host of large-scale art installations by emerging artists, designers, and architects.

One of the most anticipated pieces this year is the site-specific installation Etherea by Italian artist Edoardo Tresoldi, who gained enormous popularity worldwide with his stunning wire mesh sculptures inspired by classical architecture. Even though Tresoldi has collaborated with a number of music festivals before, such as Life Is Beautiful, Roskilde, The Secret Garden Party, Eaux Claires, and DERIVE, this new Etherea installation is Tresoldi's biggest artwork to date and is also the largest of the Coachella art pieces.

"Etherea" by Edoardo Tresoldi at Coachella 2018 © Roberto Conte

Here is how Tresoldi explains Etherea: "[...] research, focused on the experie...

Wire mesh artist Edoardo Tresoldi to present large-scale installation at Coachella Festival

2018-04-04T15:22:00-04:00

Just a few more days until the anticipated 2018 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival swings its doors open, and huge crowds, that have made the pilgrimage to this Southern California desert valley, get to enjoy the season's hippest music as well as various large-scale art installations by emerging artists, architects, and designers.

Announced to present a three-piece installation at the festival is Italian artist Edoardo Tresoldi, who made quite a splash with some of his recent architectural wire mesh sculptures—resembling holograms of classical architectures past.

Edoardo Tresoldi. © Alessandro Villa

Tresoldi—named by Forbes as one of the 30 most influential European artists under 30—is currently in Coachella, working on the installation, but images will be under tight wraps until the first day of the festival, April 13.

Until then, check out these stunning photographs of some of his previous work.

Basilica di Siponto, Manfredonia, 2016, Edoardo Tresoldi. © Roberto Conte

Archet...

AIA leadership contend steel & aluminum tariffs will negatively impact architecture industry

2018-03-06T14:03:00-05:00

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) President Carl Elefante, FAIA, and EVP/Chief Executive Officer Robert Ivy, FAIA, released the following statement today in response to the Administration’s plan to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

"The Administration’s announcement of new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports threatens to drastically increase the prices of many building materials specified by architects. These metal products are some of the largest material inputs in the construction of buildings. Structural metal beams, window frames, mechanical systems and exterior cladding are largely derived from these important metals.

“As creative problem solvers, architects rely on a variety of these materials to achieve functional and performance goals for their clients. Inflating the cost of materials will limit the range of options they can use while adhering to budgetary constraints for a building.

“By the same token, the Administration’s proposed infrastructure fund...

From shiny to rusty: 10 impressive examples of metal in architecture

2018-03-02T09:00:00-05:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

(Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles!)

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Metal.

↑ DA Residence in London, UK by deDraft; Photo: Whitaker Studio

↑ 437 Madison Avenue in New York, NY by Fogarty Finger Architecture PLLC

↑ Hay Barn in Somis, CA by SPF:architects

↑ TreeHouse in Portland, OR by LEVER Architecture

↑ Sunac Chongqing One Central Mansion Sales Pavilion in Chongqing, China by aoe; Photo: Ligang Huang

↑ Raif Dinckok Cultural Center in Yalova, Turkey by EAA-Emre Arolat Architecture; Photo: Cemal Emden

↑ The Tillary Hotel in Brooklyn, NY by Cl-oth Interiors

↑ Parker Arts, Culture & Events Center [PACE] in Parker, CO by Semple Brown | Architects & Designers; Photo: Ron Pollard Photography

↑ Orsman Roa...

Ten Top Images on Archinect's "Metal" Pinterest Board

2017-03-17T15:34:00-04:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

(Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles!)

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Metal.

↑ Matryoshka House in Rotterdam, Netherlands by shift architecture urbanism; Photo: NoortjeKnulst

↑ Woodard Residence in Memphis, TN by archimania; Photo: Hank Mardukas Photography

↑ Willow Houses in Oakland, CA by Baran Studio Architecture

↑ Faerder High School in Tønsberg, Norway by White Arkitekter A/S; Photo: Åke E:son Lindman

↑ Georges-Freche School of Hotel Management in Montpellier, France by Studio Fuksas

↑ Pages Lane in London, UK by Kirkwood McCarthy

↑ Chengdu Skycourt in Chengdu, China by Höweler + Yoon; Photo: Yihuai Hu

↑ Sulwhasoo Flagship Store in Seoul, South Korea by Neri&Hu Design and Research Office; Photo: Pedro Peg...

Inventively-clad gentrification in the form of Bordeaux's "Urban Dock"

2016-12-22T13:13:00-05:00

Take an abandoned industrial neighborhood in Bordeaux, France, affix a masterplan by urbanist Nicholas Michelin to it, and then add in an inventive cladding system over a 56-unit apartment building, and you have the fundamental makings of "Urban Dock," a recently completed project by Hamonic + Masson & Associés. The title is rooted in a metaphor, the kind of idealistic gentrification that parachutes into a depressed urban swath and attempts to liven things up. Whatever one's feelings about that, the undulating series of extruded porches and shifting color schemes is eye-catching:

As a press release explains, "The building is clad in metal, which is occasionally perforated in order to allow loggias to appear whilst also highlighting the articulation of projections and recesses, creating intriguing vertical patterns. The cladding also produces an iridescent ‘double skin’ with different transparencies and a shell-like effect, with a shimmering exterior that provides a contrast to the...

New Harwyn Alucobond Office Pods Continue To Revolutionize Modular Design

2016-11-07T09:00:00-05:00

This post is brought to you by Alucobond®

The Harwyn Office Pod is a portable home office born from founder Jason Fremder’s need for a demarcation between home life and profession life.

Fremder explains the idea for the pod was born simultaneously with the birth of his first daughter “my home office was no longer a quiet sanctuary…one sunny afternoon, when working in the backseat of my 4WD in the driveway at home, the idea for Harwyn struck me like a bolt of lighting.”

The award-winning Harwyn office pods have taken the design world by storm offering beautifully designed prefabricated modular spaces. The small team at Harwyn is dedicated to innovative design working with the “100 to 1 concept ratio” which, as the designers explain, “…for every 100 great ideas we put to paper, one will emerge as exceptional to make its way from sketchpad to design.”

Today the brand, and designs, have evolved as well as the company’s clientele. In a recent installation for a residential dwelling in Austr...

GKD Mediamesh Display Delights Shoppers In Northern China Mall

2016-10-24T09:00:00-04:00

This post is brought to you by GKD Media Mesh.

The port city of Dalian in northern China is a city of contrasts. A vibrant center of trade and industry, this rapidly growing metropolis plays an equally important role in the region as one of the country's most popular vacation destinations. In the city center of Dalian, the Beijing office of the NBBJ architectural firm designed the Eton Place Dalian tower complex as a superlative multifunctional development: five mixed-use towers standing 41 to 81 stories high and a six-story mall transform the 6.23-hectare site into an exclusive microcosm of urban life. The connecting element between the two highest towers is the spacious mall, with a roof designed in a manner reminiscent of a park. Over six floors, it offers a representative atmosphere for high-class boutiques, a luxury department store, elite gastronomy and a supermarket. Large Mediamesh screens from GKD running around the corners of the building seize the attention of passers-by ...

GKD Metal Mesh Plays Disappearing Act On Interior Office Building

2016-09-26T08:00:00-04:00

This post is brought to you by GKD Metal Fabrics.

White GKD metal fabric plays a disappearing act on the interior of a commercial office building in Toronto, Canada. With sharp geometric lines and vibrant white walls set against concrete floors and metal railings, a few red bucket chairs starkly break up the monotone design. The overall aesthetic creates a futuristic lobby worthy of the busy, interconnected corporate office that caters to premium retail spaces below 14 floors of office space. GKD Omega 1510 was used to create partitions on the second level, hiding walkways and blending into the design allowing the metal fabric to become indistinguishable from the solid white walls.

It’s a brand new feature for GKD in North America for metal wire to arrive from Germany already treated with a white powder coating. The coated wire mesh was handled with extreme caution to avoid scratching the white surface. What GKD representatives expected to be a delicate process turned out to be stand...

Alucobond® PLUS Meets The Higher Requirements Of Fire Regulations In Architecture

2016-05-11T09:00:00-04:00

This post is brought to you by Alucobond®

Alucobond® aluminum composite material (ACM) has been used for exterior cladding products in the North American building construction market for over forty years. Throughout these years, we have continued to be on the forefront of all fire and building code developments.

Not all Aluminum Composite Materials (ACM) are created equal. Making the correct choice can be a complex process. At Alucobond®, it is critical that the ACM is tested, third-party inspected on a regular basis, and labeled as required by the building code in order to meet the necessary and expected fire performance critical for evacuation and life safety in high-rise structures.

When an architect, designer, or engineer indicates a project design basis as the International Building Code (IBC), the ACM is regulated within the code by the Metals Composite Materials Section 1407. This division has performance criteria that may require the use of a fire retardant core due to the pro...

The Proven Benefits Of Daylighting On Employees And The Environment

2016-04-25T09:00:00-04:00

This post is brought to you by GKD Metal Fabrics.

There are many benefits produced as a byproduct of incorporating daylighting into an office building design. Access to daylight throughout the day improves employee well-being and overall health, even after leaving the office. Besides creating a pleasant working environment for employees, solar protection also plays a key part in supporting sustainable energy efficiency concepts.

It is important to incorporate a well-designed solar protection system, particularly for buildings with modern glass façades. Glass building façades are often seen as the ideal solution for energy-efficiency, but they are not the ultimate solution - on their own. Glass buildings result in interior overheating from direct sunlight, but there is a simple design solution available that can reduce solar overexposure throughout the day. Adding a material specifically designed for solar shading, like GKD Metal Fabrics’ solar line of metal mesh, offers a way for emp...

How Alucobond ACM Continues To Be On The Forefront Of Meeting Strict Fire And Building Code Standards

2016-04-18T09:00:00-04:00

This post is brought to you by Alucobond®

Ancient Italian church comes back to life – built in wire mesh

2016-04-06T18:40:00-04:00

The basilica of Siponto [...] in Italy’s Puglia region, has long been easy to miss—just another church among the thousands around the country. But these days, the 12th century structure attracts a crowd, sometimes even queues. [...] Adjoining the newly renovated basilica, standing on the ruins, towers a full blown cathedral—with its imposing arches, columns, and volumes—completely built in iron-wire mesh. It gives the appearance of a hologram, or a 3D charcoal drawing of a time that was.

Find more images of Edoardo Tresoldi's wire mesh sculpture of the Basilica di Siponto on Quartz.

Visually Stunning Integrated LED Metal Mesh Transforms Facades

2016-03-28T09:00:00-04:00

This post is brought to you by GKD Mediamesh®.

GKD Mediamesh® is a woven stainless steel fabric with integrated LEDs that is used to create a transparent digital display. This unique product is the perfect solution when a digital display is needed on a façade, yet the view through windows needs to be maintained or air flow is required. Mediamesh® evolved from an architectural mesh product woven by GKD. GKD is a German-based Company who began as a weaver of industrial wire cloth in the 1920’s. These products were used in all types of industrial applications from filtration to aggregate screening to conveying. In the early 1990’s, architects began to look at these metal products and think about their potential uses in architecture. This is how architectural mesh was born.

As beautiful as architectural mesh is, customers still wanted more. They wanted to be able to have images, text, and video on these facades. Ag4 Mediatecture Company in Germany understood this and came up with the ide...

Full Metal Jacket

2016-02-07T15:37:00-05:00

Although aluminum siding is available that resembles wooden clapboards, the recently built or renovated homes with metal facades of Kings County, N.Y., tend to have a funky, artistic sensibility. The idea is not to mimic traditional construction, but to be proudly metallic.

Kaya Laterman talks with architects, architectural designers, homeowners and neighbors on the cutting edge of a new Brooklyn trend.

Ten Top Images on Archinect's "Metal" Pinterest Board

2016-01-29T15:31:00-05:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

(Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles!)

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Metal.

↑ Oak & Laurel Halls - University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT by Leers Weinzapfel Associates

↑ 1950 terrace hillside residence in Ventura, CA by Studio Dig Architects

↑ HEX-SYS in Guangzhou, China by OPEN Architecture; Photo: Zhang Chao

↑ The Culture Island in Middelfart, Denmark by schmidt hammer lassen architects

↑ Pleated Inflation in Argelès, France by THEVERYMANY

↑ Ferrari Company Restaurant in Maranello, Italy by MDN Marco Visconti & Partners (Partner & design leader: Giuliano Pairone)

↑ Mutende Project I in Chingola, Zambia by Orkidstudio

↑ Residence for researchers in Lyon, France by Architecture François Scali

↑ Single Thread...

GKD LEEDing The Way In Sustainable Building Products

2015-10-13T09:00:00-04:00

This post is brought to you by GKD Metal Fabrics.

In the ever-growing multitude of green building products available in today’s market, one material that doesn’t always come straight to mind is stainless steel. But this often overlooked material holds a wealth of sustainability benefits that grow tenfold when applied and bolstered by technology such as woven metal mesh. GKD-USA has harnessed the inherent sustainability characteristics of stainless steel, using the material as a medium for creating striking, LEED-worthy building exteriors.

Stainless steel by its very nature, offers sustainable characteristics. Depending on the manufacturer, stainless steel used in metal fabrics can contain as much as 35% post-industrial and 25% post-consumer recycled content. This recyclability directly correlates with minimizing waste. The process of recycling stainless steel involves no health hazardous materials. Additionally, stainless steel:

does not require a surface coating that can deteriorate ...

How Alucobond® Aluminum Composite Materials Have Evolved To Meet Strict Building Standards

2015-10-05T11:00:00-04:00

This post is brought to you by Alucobond®

The national and international building codes have recently challenged the construction market with design-oriented goals of sustainability and energy efficiency. The increasing demand for high performance, energy-efficient buildings has led to the evolution of building enclosure designs that incorporate durability, longevity, and thermal and weather protection. Architects and building owners are now required to meet stringent energy codes which has resulted in a systems approach to designing the building envelope components. As a result, fire protection and life safety issues have significantly affected the development of the fire codes and has become integral with recent International Building Code (IBC) updates. A lot is now dependent on the correct usage of materials and systems, especially when it comes to the facade of a building and aluminum composite materials (ACM).

Alucobond® ACM can be provided with a choice between two types of c...

Liquid metal discovery paves way for shape-shifting robots

2015-04-17T13:17:00-04:00

[Researchers at Tsinghua University] discovered that an applied electrical current causes the gallium alloy to drastically alter its shape. Changing the voltage applied to the metal allowed it to 'shape-shift' into different formations. When the current was switched off, the metal returned to its original drop shape. [...] they realized that bringing it into contact with a flake of aluminum caused a reaction creating hydrogen bubbles that allowed it to move of its own accord.

The metal alloy in question is made mostly of gallium, which is liquid at <30 degrees Celsius. Researchers think that the material could have profound implications for medical science, in particular the delivery of drugs into the blood stream. Professor Liu Jing, leader of the research team at Tsinghua University, believes the discovery could lead to a "robot for the veins".

See the material in action below: