In recent years, Cor-Ten alloy steel has found a truly universal application in almost all areas of construction and design, from structures and exterior finishing of buildings to interior decoration and the creation of street art objects. Thanks to the wide range of possibilities for using Corten steel, architects and designers today bring their wildest ideas to life.
The shape of this fashionable and very promising material easily changes in accordance with the tasks to be solved, but the color remains unchanged, so that it is not difficult to discern Cor-Ten among competitors. In the process of creating this steel, it undergoes an oxidation procedure, acquiring its velvety structure and characteristic shades - from soft orange to noble brown. The water-resistant oxide film that forms after oxidation reliably protects Corten steel from further corrosion and retains its original color forever.
One of the best examples of the use of Cor-Ten steel in the construction of high-rise buildings is the 23-story mixed-use building of the City University of Leeds in the north of England, built in 2009 by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios. On an area of more than 10,000 m2, there are 240 student dormitory rooms, classrooms, offices and a cafe.
The massiveness of the complex is leveled by the multi-storey of its individual parts, flat roofs, and cascading windows. Taken together, this allows the building to organically match its surroundings - to fit into the historical development of central Leeds. And the tallest tower seems to symbolize the local nature - the harsh northern mountains and the boiling rivers of Yorkshire. A significant role in the implementation of this concept was played by the rusty color of Corten steel, from which all facades of the building are faced with panels. The total area of the corten used in the project was 9,200 m2.
Cor-Ten technology is successfully applied not only in the cladding of residential and public buildings, but also on the facades of industrial complexes. A striking example of how, with the help of Corten steel, you can turn a purely utilitarian structure, which should stand behind a gray fence and scare away ordinary people, into a real object of art -
Egtved gas compressor station, designed by C. F. Møller.
The tops of the two long buildings, perched on the tops of artificial hills, are clad in Cor-Ten steel panels. With such a facade solution, the designers tried to minimize maintenance costs (this type of steel is durable and unpretentious in maintenance), as well as to neatly fit the buildings into the natural environment. Thanks to the embossed surface formed with the help of panels, the texture of the walls resembles either drawers of a chest of drawers, or a basket wicker made of wood, while the color "wood imitation" is in perfect harmony with green grass.
Corten steel is easily cut with a laser, which is why works of art of truly jewelry precision are created from this material. This opportunity was a godsend
during the reconstruction of the Palazzo Campiello near Venice. In the 1980s, the historic building was badly damaged by fire, it stood dilapidated and abandoned for a long time, and 30 years later, architects from 3ndy Studio proposed an unusual solution: to build an absolute new building, and preserve the memory of the old in words … from steel.
In front of the new building, a second façade, made of corten, was installed and resembled the palazzo that existed here. The sheets of steel with a total area of 300 m2 were carved with quotes from Italian classics, typed in fonts typical of the 19th century - the time the original building was built. It turned out over 15,000 characters! But this is not possible with corten: it is enough to simply prepare a computer model, and the laser will cut the necessary pattern into the steel.
Corten is not at all a material intended exclusively for large-scale projects or installations by world-renowned designers. Private houses also "dress" in this steel, which is due to its external attractiveness, durability and, last but not least, low price.
Designed by DMOA Architecten, a three-story house in the suburbs of Antwerp, Belgium, is surrounded on all sides by narrow vertical Corten steel panels perpendicular to the facades. The same frequent panels are installed around the perimeter of the site, more rare - in the backyard, by the pool. The architects explain that they were looking for a material that would give a sense of integrity, but not closed; would allow you to look out of the site, but at the same time clearly define its border. Cor-Ten was the perfect choice.
This steel is widely used all over the world in the construction of pedestrian bridges. Corten helps to reduce operating costs, avoid deformation and minimize environmental impact. In addition, bridges are assembled on site in just a few days from large steel components prefabricated in the factory.
One of the striking examples of "Corten bridges" -
Hyose Bridge in Suldal, Norway, designed by Sami Rintala and Rintala Eggertsson Architects. The structure of the bridge, which consists of two trusses, as well as its skin, are made of Cor-Ten steel. There is a slatted floor in the center of the bridge so that pedestrians can admire the seething stream of water. The new crossing allowed the inhabitants of the village of Sann to easily visit the opposite wooded coast, which has always been a popular holiday destination for them.
The avant-garde and promising material Cor-Ten is gaining popularity in Russia, where it is already used in several large projects, for example, in the Moscow buildings of Sergei Skuratov - in the Depository and Restoration Exhibition Center or in a residential building near the Donskoy Monastery.
Corten steel is widely used in the creation of outdoor design: gazebos, benches, flower beds and all kinds of installations.
The Gradas company is one of the few on the Russian market that can offer the consumer a fashionable and unique type of Cor-Ten steel. GRADAS also offers flat and volumetric facade cassettes, perforated metal, laser cutting and works with different colors of aluminum, stainless and galvanized steel, copper. Hinged volumetric facades GRADAS - this is what gives the city its character and style, helps to create a modern urban history.
