Facades made of modern materials
Source: Architektura
Brick, plaster, stone or wood are no longer enough for architects designing modern building facades. They reach for glass, metal or steel mesh.
— Due to its durability, zinc sheet metal has been used for centuries in the most exposed areas of buildings: on the roof, facades, gutters — explains Igor Pilutkiewicz from Rheinzink Polska.
Architecture_m3ziolek_elevations_press_reynaers_aluminium — A facade made of it using the “seam” technology can take on various patterns. The sheet metal in this technique can be formed into convex, concave elements, roundings or conical strips. The rhythm and arrangement of the seams on the facade can be any, from horizontal, diagonal to vertical. Zinc-titanium sheet metal can also be combined with other materials in the technology of ventilated facades. Its patinated version is particularly easy to combine with sandstone, clinker, and glass.
Transparent and metallic
Technological innovations introduced on facades have not only an impact on architectural aesthetics. Manufacturers offering new solutions made of aluminum and glass pay attention to the useful functions of facades: climate, thermal and acoustic protection of buildings. The facade consisting of element systems can be easily assembled on the construction site and is characterized by high thermal insulation. Equipped with photovoltaic panels, it will become an additional source of “green” energy.
— The element façade offers many benefits in the case of high-rise construction — explains Janusz Sobek, Key Project Coordinator at Reynaers Polska. — It’s not just about the fact that all the elements can be completely manufactured in a workshop. Putting together the entire façade resembles solving a puzzle – on the construction site itself, it is limited to inserting the completed parts into the appropriate places, using previously installed fasteners. Modern solar systems, on the other hand, will work well in single-family homes. Thanks to the wide range of solutions, savings and ecology go hand in hand. To sum up the annual energy costs, let’s think about installing energy-saving systems that will relieve our household budget.
The development of technology makes it easier for designers to combine different materials on facades. However, specialists appeal for moderation and skillful selection of elements that together should compose into a single whole.
— Non-traditional facade materials can be combined with each other depending on the aesthetics adopted in the project. Particularly in a composition based on contrast — says dr hab. Wacław Celadyn. — However, it should be noted that too many different materials used on one facade, usually more than three, cause the effect of excess and illegibility of the aesthetic idea.
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Brick and stone on one façade are found both in traditionally arranged designs, as well as as a wall finish for modern buildings. Smooth bricks in white, black and muted shades of grey should be complemented with granite slabs, emphasizing the modernity of the design. On the other hand, hand-formed facing bricks and unhewn stone are a combination that reflects the naturalness and simplicity of the building.
Ventilation diversity
In the ventilated facade technology, the actual wall of the building is boarded with a system aluminum or steel structure, on which the cladding panels are mounted. These panels can be made of various materials – concrete, fiber cement, ceramics, wood, stone or sheet metal – creating uniform surfaces or combining into fancy mosaics. Currently, ventilated cladding is not only about prestige and richness of finish, but also technical values and a wide range of solutions, giving the possibility of creating works of modern architecture – says Maria Ziółek from M3 Ziółek. — Public architecture prefers to use raw claddings, while residential buildings emphasize their family purpose through traditional claddings.
However, we are increasingly noticing a tendency to mix these trends, e.g. thin-layer concrete is combined with natural wood, and large-size cellulose boards veneered with wood with stone slate. Combinations of various textures of these facings, colors, a clash of two trends – traditional, cozy with modern, technical – give original effects, appreciated by both architects and investors.
In ventilated facades, a ventilation void is maintained between the top layer of the cladding and the thermal insulation. Such a construction transfers the dew point from the wall to the surface of the insulation layer – in this way, the investor obtains optimal dryness of the building’s walls and humidity inside the development. Additionally, this technology eliminates the formation of fungi and molds and makes it easier to maintain a constant temperature in the building.
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Zinc accents
Unique patterns on facades can be obtained using zinc-titanium sheet. Used to cover large areas of building walls with a technological expression, it will also work well in single-family construction, even as a finishing accent.
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Author: Karol Usakiewicz; Photo Reynaers Aluminum, GKD/Cemal Emden, Rheinzink, Rieder, Röben
