The Magic of Metal in Architectural Design
Metal’s wide array of colors and a growing assortment of textures (e.g., smooth, corrugated, embossed, striated) offer designers a high level of customization.
Metal panels frame a south-facing extension of Joliet Junior College’s Natural Science Building. Additionally, randomly arranged metal sun shelves extend eight inches from the curtain wall to add visual interest and shade the glass at a nominal cost.
The material offers a great deal of flexibility in terms of changing appearance depending on the time of day and the position of the sun. What you see on a sunny morning can look completely different than what you see on a rainy afternoon.
Metal is also highly recyclable. Steel and aluminum in particular have little to no degradation during recycling.
The University Center of Lake County exemplifies the malleability of metal panels. The south façade, which embraces the courtyard, features metal bands that weave in and out of the curtain wall to create balconies and bay windows. The bands carry through to the interior to define the atrium balconies and a spiral staircase.
The malleability of metal cladding is another of its key strengths. Its manifestations range from sleek, rectilinear facilities (see Joliet Junior College Natural Sciences Building) to structures that twist and bend like abstract paintings (see University Center of Lake County). It can be used to build a new signature facility, or to inject a dull, dated masonry box with a sense of vitality.
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