Notes

Metal Cladding: What is the Deal?
There are two possible ways to look at a person. The conventional view is to consider them one entity. It's a unified self and body with one name. Another, less common way to view them is to think of them as a collection of parts and organs. This creates an incredibly coordinated symphony.

The same applies to buildings. Metal Cladding tend to see buildings as people. These buildings are finished products that have a single identity and name: the Empire State Building or the Taj Mahal or the Temple of Dendur. Buildings can also be extraordinary collections of parts, products, gadgets, finishes, and fixtures that synchronize to create an amazing living space for those who live there.



Nortem is all about understanding buildings. This week we will be highlighting different components of buildings to help architects better understand their use and specification. As our Source platform continues to grow, we would like to continue the conversations we are having with designers and manufacturers with the rest of our audience to advance the future of how architects find and specify products.


This week, we will be focusing on metal Cladding. A material that has embraced the curves and turns in architecture for decades. From the punched tin of Louis Sullivan to the titanium swoops of Frank Gehry to the prismatic steel of Marc Fornes, designers have embraced metal cladding for its flexibility and finish. It is both avant-garde- and standard-issue. Recent news about the Grenfell Tower disaster has highlighted the ubiquity of metal cladding and underscored how important it is to understand the materials we use and the ways they work.


New possibilities were opened by the Industrial Revolution for metal sheets to be punched and shaped into ornamental designs. Louis Sullivan, a nineteen-century innovator, took full advantage of this in Chicago's exteriors. But it wasn't until the invention of the curtain wall in the mid-20th century that metal cladding truly came to its best. The curtain wall was an innovative concept that separated the structure from its exterior. New buildings were not supported by bricks or stones but had steel and concrete foundations that could be used to support glass and metal skins (like a curtain).



Aluminum was still an exciting product at the time. Forward-thinking designers tried new ways to use sheet metal as a skin to the postwar building boom. Modern atomic-age high rises were dominated by metal-clad buildings. As digital design became more complex, architects began to embrace metal's ability to fold in multiple directions. This was something that glass, wood, and stone couldn't do.


Ironically, this is the same reason ancient builders used copper roofs for the Pantheon's dome and for the curves of buildings such as the Hildesheim Cathedral. Metal cladding is no longer a space-age novelty. It's used today to convey timelessness and newness. Designers such as Olson Kundig use weathered iron for industrial romance. Zaha Hadid architects combine digital modeling and handcraft to create elegantly refined forms.
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