KNOW YOUR PRODUCTS Visually Striking Designs
Formable Alucobond achieves architects’ signature designs By Douglas Twitchell
Since Alucobond aluminum composite material was introduced in 1969, architects have turned to this ingenious patented product to create some of the world’s most visually striking modern structures. Alucobond is specified by architects as high-tech metal cladding for office buildings, hospitals, educational facilities, convention cen- ters, airports and hotels and is utilized to cre- ate custom design elements such as entrances, canopies, column covers and interiors as well as corporate identity structures and signage.
What architect doesn’t want to leave his or
her unique signature on a building’s design? That signature may lie in the building’s imaginative overall shape that includes complex curves or trapezoids. It may lie in the building’s distinguishing wall color and texture, or in its distinctive exterior architectural ele- ments and decorative interior elements. Or, it may lie in an overriding goal to achieve the highest LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council in which selection of sustainable materials is a priority. The Alucobond product offering by Statesville,
N.C.-based 3A Composites USA Inc. has been con- tinually expanded to meet these types of architec- tural needs. Alucobond consists of two sheets of 0.20-inch
aluminum thermobonded to a polyethylene core in a continuous process–a patented product design that provides extraordinary flatness and rigidity, excellent formability, light weight and outstanding weather resistance. Alucobond Plus material features a fire- retardant core–a building code requirement in many major U.S. metropolitan areas. Alucobond panels are pre-finished with a pre-
mium coil-coated paint or anodized finish in a wide range of colors. Alucobond Spectra Colors allow architects to incorporate a unique, ever-changing
color spectrum in building cladding as different wavelengths of light are reflected back to the audi- ence. And, the Alucobond naturAL series offers the choice of a finely brushed or mirror-finished alumi- num surface. In addition to a wide range of stocked colors,
Alucobond is known for its extensive custom color- matching program. The Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston recently turned to Aluco- bond custom colors for its soon-to-open Student Residence Hall designed by Boston-based ADD, Inc., in homage to artist Gustav Klimt’s “Tree of Life” painting. Working with Pittsburgh-based PPG Industries, 3A Composites’ custom color specialists provided 54 color matches used to create seven cus- tom colors of Alucobond panels that were fabricated and installed on this 21-story building by Lymo Con- struction Co. Inc., Merrimack, N.H., for Boston-based general contractor Suffolk Construction Co. Inc. Alucobond panels are easy to form into the most
unique shapes, including tight radius designs and 3-D shapes. For example, the new VanDusen Botanical Garden Visitor Centre in Vancouver, British Colum- bia, Canada, was designed by the Vancouver office of Perkins + Will in a striking orchid design in which the roof edges are formed by multiple undulating “petals” growing from an architectural oculus. The petals are highlighted by Alucobond naturAL plain mill-finished panels that were custom designed, fabricated and installed by Keith Panel Systems Co. Ltd., Vancouver. KPS used 3-D modeling software to coordinate with the design and construction team to achieve the complex curving geometry. The VanDusen Visitor Centre was designed to
meet the Cascadia Green Building Council’s Living Building Challenge, which requires the elimination of unsustainable building materials on its “Red List.” Alu- cobond ACM met this strict requirement; additionally, the material’s aluminum and core are fully recyclable. Formable Alucobond panels offer architects unlim-
ited design options. The key to fulfilling those unique designs lies in the strength and depth of the engi- neering capabilities of wall panel fabricators, many of which have developed patented installation systems. 3A Composites has established working relation-
ships that have spanned more than 20 years with several North American-based fabricators, including: KPS; Elward Systems Corp., Lakewood, Colo.; Ther- mal Systems KWC Ltd., Calgary, Alberta, Canada; and Sobotec Ltd., Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. These are just a few of the capable Alucobond
fabricators to whom 3A Composites directs archi- tects who specify its material. We have established relationships with experienced fabricators and installers throughout North America and South America and are eager to connect building archi- tects and engineering firms with these companies. These fabricators and installers rely upon 3A
Composites’ core competencies, including a custom- er service department that is well known for reliable orders and flexibility in meeting customers’ needs. As the world’s first and leading brand, Alu-
cobond meets the needs of architects like Jorge Charneco, AIA, of Oklahoma City-based Miles Asso- ciates, who designed the striking curved roofline of the Children’s Atrium at Oklahoma University Medi- cal Center in Oklahoma City by combining glass skylights and standing seam metal roofing with Alucobond. Architectural Fabricators Co., Bartles- ville, Okla., fabricated and installed these Alucobond panels. “We had worked with Alucobond previously,”
says Charneco. “There’s a certain assurance going with the Alucobond brand name versus ‘Brand X.’ The product is great.”
Douglas Twitchell serves as Alucobond marketing manager for 3A Composites USA Inc., Statesville, N.C. For more information, visit
www.alucobondusa.com.
48 METAL ARCHITECTURE July 2012
www.metalarchitecture.com
FROM LEFT: The new Residence Hall at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston features seven custom colors of Alucobond cladding; The VanDusen Botanical Garden Visitor Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, features a strik- ing orchid “petal” design with roof panels fabricated from Alucobond naturAL; The Children’s Atrium at Oklahoma University Medical Center in Oklahoma City features a striking curved roofline created by combining glass skylights and standing seam metal roofing with Alucobond.
University Hospitals Authority & Trust
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