In the assortment of the 3AComposites company, which produces the world famous ALUCOBOND composite panels® and this year celebrates its 50th anniversary, the naturAL collection is one of the most demanded. The surfaces offered to designers in this collection pay tribute to the natural beauty of metal - its subdued radiance, its ability to absorb or reflect light. The brightest among them, perhaps, is the mirror surface of ALUCOBOND.® naturAL Reflect.
Surface ALUCOBOND® naturAL Reflect is not inferior to a mirror in aesthetic qualities: the same smooth, with a high reflectivity. Its advantage is ease of use, since the surface is not afraid of precipitation, frost and heat, it is protected from corrosion and mold, it is easy to clean. At the same time, unlike a mirror, ALUCOBOND composite panels® easy to process, easy to mount on the facade, lightweight, take almost any shape and, of course, much stronger.
The combination of these characteristics allows architects around the world to use
ALUCOBOND® naturAL Reflect in a variety of and, as a rule, conceptual projects. As it turned out, a mirror is a rather capacious material filled with metaphors and meanings, and with the help of it architects can achieve various, sometimes opposite effects. So, what can be done with a building using ALUCOBOND facade panels® naturAL Reflect:
Dissolve surrounded
Casa Invisibile, that is, the "invisible house", was invented by Austrian architects from the Delugan Meissl bureau. It is modular, inexpensive, quickly erected and disassembled, and also easily adapts to any environment, without disrupting, but almost literally dissolving into it.
The house is fully tiled with large format mirror panels ALUCOBOND® Plus so that there are as few seams as possible. Outside there are sliding elements, which, like shutters, can be used to close large windows and doors - then the house becomes "invisible", leaving only a hint of its outline. A flat surface is capable of reflecting not only trees and clouds, but even the movement of stars. It turns out a kind of natural "media facade", which is constantly changing - depending on the season or even the weather: after rain for a while beautiful streaks remain, after a severe frost - unique patterns.
Express the idea of inclusion
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The Children's Center in Newcastle West, Ireland works with children with mental and physical disabilities, an important part of the work is to help them integrate into society. The SATA bureau reflected this process in the architecture of the building.
The layout is turned outward: in the center there are technical rooms surrounded by a circular corridor, while the outer perimeter houses spacious and light-filled therapy rooms, waiting areas and offices. Continuous glazing of the lower part of the building blurs the line between interior and exterior, but the main thing is that all children, regardless of age, height or physical limitations, can enjoy the view of the garden.
The upper part of the building overhangs the lower one, protecting the offices from direct sunlight. This peculiar "roof" is fully clad with ALUCOBOND mirrored panels® naturAL Reflect, which “connect” the building with the sky and the garden, that is, literally, almost tangibly, integrate it into the environment. The mullions of the windows set the movement up. The message inherent in the architecture is read quite transparently, but the poetic embodiment is awe-inspiring: the work taking place below gradually leads to the fact that children become part of society and the world around them.
Create a futuristic look
The Paläon Research and Visitor Center in Lower Saxony is also in many ways about a respectful retreat to nature and merging with it, but expressive forms and lines create a memorable image. Why shouldn't the architecture of the future be like this? Bright and technological, but still existing in harmony with nature.
The Paläon Center was designed by Holzer Kobler Architekturen on the outskirts of Schöningen, not far from the site of a unique and important archaeological find - wooden spears about 300 thousand years old, which are considered the oldest weapons found by scientists. In 2009, it was decided to build an entire building for this artifact. Paläon fully clad with ALUCOBOND panels® naturAL Reflect of different widths, which in long stripes, located at different angles, soar upward like spears. Visitors to the center can not only get acquainted with the evidence of ancient life found in Schöningen, but also visit existing laboratories and even take part in research. The natural environment that the façade reflects is also part of the exhibition. For example, Przewalski's horses graze in the field, as they did 300-400 thousand years ago, which is confirmed by the remains found here.
Attract buyers
Mirror surfaces are appropriate to use not only in open areas surrounded by nature, but also in the fabric of the city, and even on large objects. Example - one of the largest shopping and entertainment complexes in the Volga region
Good'OK, built in the center of Samara according to the project of ESP "Expo Service- und Projektmanagement Hannover GmbH". A huge building unites shops and offices with an area of more than 250 thousand m22… The facades next to the main entrance area are decorated with ALUCOBOND mirrored panels®: at the level of the first floor, the panels are laid horizontally and "smoothly", above - they are placed in vertical stripes, which create a complex play of reflections and refractions. Here a new, urban connotation appears at the mirror: as a possible symbol of consumerism and the main attribute of fitting rooms.
Hide volume or height
In the city, the mirror surface can be useful when working with old architecture. So, in Ghent, the architects bureau
TRANS architectuur-TV Dynamo built on a former brick warehouse for storing cotton with a simple cubic volume, lined with ALUCOBOND panels®… At the same time, it was possible to maintain a difficult balance: the new part is in contrast to the old one, but at the same time it does not overwhelm. The material reflects the sky, so the increase in height and change in the proportion of the building is not felt. Also, the entrance, hidden behind the old wooden gate, is decorated with mirrored panels. The renovated building will serve the neighboring UCO business park: a restaurant, a career center, several meeting rooms and offices will open here.
Find the final touch or zest
Fragmented use of ALUCOBOND mirror panels® also allows for expressive effects. The authors
On the Life Science campus in Salzburg, the architects of Berger & Parkkinen call the main element of their building the "inverted roof", which is worth looking for at the bottom of the building - at first glance it looks more like a "belly". The main volume of the campus hangs over the recessed ground floor, and the resulting inner plane of the undulating visor is lined with mirrored panels that “interlock” the building with the garden and multiply the space.
The project has a strong conceptual side: the architects wanted to re-interpret the urban landscape, create spatial stratification, echoing the rhythms typical of the historical center, but in a new sound. Material played an important role in the implementation of the plan.
