stainless steel and its visual impact - aplica-inox

Stainless Steel and its Visual Impact

Shane McAleavey, Sheffield, U.K.

Presentation on the occasion of the conferenceStainless Steel for Architectural Visionsjointly organised by Euro Inox, Brussels, Belgium and I.D. Inox, Saint Herblain, France, on 15th May 2001 in Paris

S T A I N L E S S S T E E L A N D I T S V I S U A L I M P A C T

1

My thanks first of all to renowned architect FrankGehry for this reproduction of an early sketch. Itillustrates my thought process in preparing thispresentation.

The easier part of the preparation was setting outthe basic structure and timing: this is the frame-work that I came up with. The introduction, the maintopics; the visual impact of stainless in buildings,their locations and functions: applications of surfacefinishes used, where and how: then a summing up

and conclusions. In about 25 minutes from now wewill all know if I have got that part of it right.

The challenge came when I tried to select theexamples that I might use to help demonstrate thevisual impact of stainless steel in architecture, theleading mass medium of public art. There was somuch to choose from. So I started by looking at alist of reference buildings that I try to keep up todate.

© Frank O. Gehry


2

Houses Stations Churches ArtGalleries Museums Concert HallsTheatres Bridges Walkways ScienceParks Monuments Court HousesApartments Offices Theme ParksIndustrial Banks Canopies RetailShops Gateways Airports TunnelsExhibition Centres Sports Stadia

68 & 56

There I found a list of 68 different building typesand 56 varieties of building materials. Too manyto list here so these are just a few. Plenty of choicefor you and for your clients: plenty of opportunityfor us and plenty of competition for stainless steelfinishes too. This was also evident when I searchedfor appropriate applications of stainless and finishesin or around these locations.

So many buildings

These are buildings where we, members of Euro Inox,have been involved in some way: they may beinteresting or spectacular or perhaps just ordinary,simply functional buildings. Some are quite new,some are older. Others, by the standards of certainproperty developers, are probably ancient. But that

is another discussion, for another day. And they arenot all located here in Europe either: increasinglythey are to be found as far afield as China, HongKong, Malaysia, the United States and beyond. I alsolooked at my thesaurus, dictionnaire des synonymes,for some inspiration. I always need plenty of inspi-ration!

America Square, LondonCourthouse, StrasbourgCanary Wharf, LondonMuseum Tampa, USAQEQM Gates, LondonExpo Centre, SingaporeWaterloo Station, LondonLG HQ Building, SeoulNat West Tower, LondonPharmacie Labs, UppsalaSainsburys, PlymouthHalle Concert, ManchesterBrook House, LondonKL Int Airport, MalaysiaRoyal Albert Dock, LondonNCPM, SheffieldCheung Kong, Hong KongComm. Bridge, LondonJin Mao Tower, Shanghai

Puerta de Europa, MadridCabot Square, LondonLantau Bridge, Hong KongFinishing Dept, SheffieldLowry Centre, ManchesterJubilee Extension, LondonBlue Cross, ChicagoMillennium Bridge, YorkBroadgate West, LondonMRT Terminal, SingaporeHendrix Museum, SeattleNokia Building, FinlandHermitage, St. PetersburgMuseum, HeidleburgMayo Clinic, MinneapolisPlanetarium, BristolTunnel Rail Link, KentO’Connell St. Spire, DublinCathedral, Liverpool

Limehouse Link, LondonEuro Disney, ParisLyceum Theatre, SheffieldPetronas Towers, MalaysiaFootbridge, DerbyshireScience Park, LeicesterReichstag, BerlinReflector, NottinghamSpectrum Bldg, GlasgowHerne Bay Pier, KentBridewell Street, BristolLUXX Beacons, BristolUniversity Wales, BangorDon Valley, SheffieldCosta Mesa, CaliforniaBus Repair, DoncasterKellogg Bldg, ManchesterChrysler Bldg, New YorkSavoy Theatre, London


3

So many finishes

From subdued, low-reflective greys, to bright mirrorimages, where the chrome-look in stainless steelcan be seen at its best. And from soft textures thatchange with natural light, to heavy, durable raisedpatterns that cope so well with the hustle and bustleof modern life. But these finishes are not here bychance. Tops of this list are the common mill finishesfor flat rolled products. So if you are designing abuilding for Paris or Prague, for Tiannamen Squareor the Arctic Circle, you can be sure that thesefinishes will be immediately recognisable and available the world over. As for the others, they arethere because people like you wanted them. Theyare not all everyone’s favourites, but there is some-thing within the range to meet most tastes. And ifthere is not something already available, you canalways do it yourself.

So many applications

Increasingly, designers have recognised newopportunities and benefits in working with thismodern hygienic material, which is lightweight,strong and inert. Stainless steel is also a materialthat will keep its promise of durability and long life,though not at a high cost to our environment. It isan economic material that is easily available in awide range of forms and, is ready to use in an arrayof finishes. Now the choice of grade and thicknessof material to be used can be determined by engi-neering and application design needs. To someextent similar criteria apply to the selection of sur-face finish and these issues have been very wellcovered by previous speakers. However it is withinsurface finish that the creator has the greatest scopeto realise and express the appearance of his or herdesign concept, to create a unique, lasting visualimpact. And there are plenty of finishes to choosefrom.

Balustrading Tunnel linings Wallties Street Furniture Fixings BoltsNuts Screws Washers Lintels Roofingsheets Joist hangers HandrailingFloorplate Signage Sinks Plumbing& Drainage Urinals Cable laddersLamp posts Ventilation ducts Door fur-niture Wall planks Wind tunnels Wireropes & cables Gates Curtain wallingFire dampers Blast walls Roof liningsCeiling tiles Reinforcement bar Rockanchors Vent louvres Lift carsEscalator panels Swimming pool furni-ture Feature cladding Fire doorsRail platform seating Door entrysystems Window furniture Space fra-mes Bridge enclosures Power cablesupports Banding & strappingLightning conductors Cable Ladders

GroundMirrorTexturedBead-blastTerne coat

PolishedDull RolledPatternedShot-PeenTin Plated

BrushedLow LustreColouredEtchedPainted

1D 2D 2B 2R


4

Anish Kapoor

Here is a recent sculpture by Anish Kapoor calledSky Mirror, at the Nottingham Playhouse in UK. It is6 metres diameter and weighs over 8 tonnes in 316 grade stainless. The plate has been cut, fabri-cated, welded and polished to this mirror finish.This work was not done by the stainless manufac-turer: it was reported that it took about 3 monthsfor a specialist contractor in Finland to completelypolish both sides.

I would like to take a moment to clarify a point onmy descriptions of grades in this presentation. Al-ready you will have noticed that I have referred to316 grade and I may later refer to 304. This is notto be disrespectful of EN European Standards. It iseasier this way to differentiate between the mainstainless groups, rather than trying to point tospecific EN Series numbers in the description ofan application.

To help you to select the exact specification number,there are information sheets that show the EN Seriescross-referenced with the national or traditionalnumber series. These information sheets, whichalso provide relevant chemical, mechanical andother property data are freely available – do askme afterwards if you want to know more.

Equally, the names or the serial numbers of thesefinishes should only be used to indicate groups ortypes of finishes or finishing processes, rather thanone individual, distinct appearance. Appearance ishighly subjective. Normally, there will be differencesbetween similar products supplied by the same orby different manufacturers or processors. Sometimesthese differences will be subtle, sometimes theywill be blatant. It is important to remember that it isnot enough to specify ‘Polished’ or ‘Bead-blasted’just in the same way that it is not enough to specifysimply ‘stainless steel’.

There is no need to write down all these details atthis time: far better to get a copy of the “Euro InoxGuide to Stainless Steel Finishes”. An excellentreference handbook, it is available in printed bro-chure or CD-ROM formats and in several languages.It tells the story, from the coarse, organic texture ofhot rolled plate to the delicate artistic etchings onmirror polished sheets.

Before we move on, I would like to say ‘Thank you’.Because no buildings would be here today were itnot for the architects and engineers who designedthem and, of course, the clients who paid for them.So for those buildings you are seeing here, for thoseyou yourselves have designed and, for those yet tocome, thank you, architects, engineers and, ofcourse clients, everywhere.

Now, clearly, it will not be possible today to look ateach finish used on every building in all of theselocations. So here is a short tour, aimed at showingyou a selection of architectural and structural appli-cations around the world where stainless steelshave been chosen by architects, by engineers or by owners, who have recognised the benefits of amaterial that combines practicality and durabilitywith prestige and economy.

Sky Mirror, Nottingham Playhouse, Nottingham, EnglandAnish Kapoor


5

York Bridge

To make certain that this bridge would be strongenough to give lifetime support, the engineers,Whitby Bird & Partners, designed the structure inhigh-strength, Duplex 2205 stainless. The main arch,which spans 80 metres, is a welded box section,produced from 75 mm and 20 mm thick plate. Several shorter lengths of section were fabricated,then curved to the final arch profile, delivered to site then welded end-to-end and erected.

This is the new Millennium Bridge in York, in Nor-thern England and, to ensure the appearance ofthe bridge remains in good condition, the stainlessplate was cleaned and polished before and afterwelding and fabrication. Even though Duplex 2205has very high corrosion resistant properties, thesurface has been given a clean-cut polished finish,with a very smooth micro-surface roughness of lessthan 0.5 microns Ra.

QEQM

I want to start with a celebration. This decorativegateway was paid for by public funds and it com-memorates the long life of the mother of our Queen,bless her! She is over 100 years now. Sadly, anddespite her Royal lifestyle, she is unlikely to seeanother 100 years, but that cannot be said of thestainless. The design uses plate, strip, bar and wire,all of which have been cut, shaped, brazed, bur-nished, polished, welded, acid-cleaned and electro-polished. What other materials could withstandsuch treatment that actually enhances its appea-rance and helps to keep it looking good for many,many years to come.

HRH Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother Commemorative Gates, Hyde Park, London

Millennium Bridge, York, EnglandWhitby Bird & Ptrs., Engineers

Duplex 2205/316


6

Millennium Bridge, York, EnglandWhitby Bird & Ptrs., EngineersDuplex 2205/316

Incidentally, it is believed that the 75 mm thick platewas the largest stainless plate ever to have beenpolished for an aesthetic engineering application,anywhere in the world. Furthermore, we understandthat, to date, this is the longest single span, ofDuplex stainless in a structural application.

Stainless was recognised as the most appropriatematerial for other high-strength or high-wear partsof the bridge. The bridge is already very popularwith local people and it has become a busy touristattraction in the region. The durable nature of the316 grade used in the balustrading and other publicareas will ensure a long service life. The attractivesurface finish will also help this process as it shouldbe very easy to clean, so that everyone visiting thebridge or living nearby can take pride in its appea-rance. Pride in appearance is important not just tous, but also to those who have to live with the re-sults of our work.


7

Derbyshire

But not all bridges are big and spectacular. This isa simple elevated walkway, which has helped toopen up a delightful part of the countryside thatwas previously closed to the public. Derbyshire Re-gional engineers who designed and built it havewon many accolades for their work, which showstoo how stainless, aluminium, wood and stone canwork so well together. Once again, smooth polishedsurfaces will reduce the risk of staining and helpkeep down public spending on maintenance.

Tsing Ma

It will be a little more difficult to maintain thisstructure, not because of the materials used, butbecause of the sheer size of the installation. TheTsing Ma Crossing to Hong Kong’s new airport hasstainless deflector cladding to cope with highwinds in the South China Seas – possibly up to250 km/hour. I am told it is the world’s longest su-spension bridge. The grade is 316 with highMolybdenum and the surface finish is 2D. This isa basic mill finish and it would not have been myfirst choice but it may help with a plan that we haveheard of, to paint the bridge red. Design of thebridge is by Mott McDonald engineers.

Elevated WalkwayGoyt Valley, Derbyshire, EnglandDerbyshire Consulting Engineers316

Tsing Ma Bridge, Hong KongMott MacDonald 316/2D


8

Waterloo

This is the Waterloo International in London forEurostar, designed by Nicholas Grimshaw Partner-ship, for the high-speed rail-link to Brussels, Parisand beyond. Textured and patterned finishes areused extensively in public contact areas wherelong-life good looks are an essential attraction forpassengers. The roof, which we see here, is in grade 316 withhigh Molybdenum. Roof panels are 0.9 mm thick,with gutters and supports in 3 & 5 mm and all havea Matt-rolled finish. The high Molybdenum contentof the material, the smooth surface finish and astrict cleaning regime are some of the featuresof the design that will help protect the 125 yearwarranty that was required by the building owners.Only another 116 years to go!

CTRL

We British are a little behind you French in thehigh-speed rail-link development programme, butwe will get there. Soon! These are bridge parapetcovers on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link that connectsEurotunnel to London. They help to control noise,mainly from the train wheels. So far around 8000square metres of stainless grade 316 2B in 2 mmthick has been polished to a clean-cut surface withroughness below 0.5 microns Ra.

Channel Tunnel Rail LinkKent, EnglandBridge parapet covers

Waterloo International Terminal, LondonNicholas Grimshaw & Ptrs

This material has been perforated with over 13 mil-lion tiny holes. And an even sillier statistic, thepanels have been subjected to a total of 69,000bending operations. There is not much more onecan say about bridge parapet covers, especiallythese. However it seems to me their design re-sembles that of the front of a Eurostar train. Maybethat’s just a coincidence?


9

Liverpool

The only link I could find between London’s Waterlooand this building was football. Last week, Arsenal FCfrom London were defeated by Liverpool in thefootball cup final. My sympathies to Duncan Munro,Director of the British Stainless Steel Association,who is in the audience – he is such a keen fan ofNorth London football.This building is in Liverpool. It is the MetropolitanCathedral. The concrete roof, previously coveredwith 5 mm thick aluminium was leaking badly andwas replaced by 0.5 mm thick stainless - one tenth

Metropolitan Cathedral, LiverpoolVis Williams Pritchard Architects

of the thickness. The architect was Vis WilliamsPritchard. It is a Roman Catholic Cathedral so mymother would have said that the stainless steelshould be made in heaven. It was not. It came fromSweden – not even close. But I am sure she wouldhave been happy to see the sparkle that the coldrolled stainless surface gives to the building andthe area around it, even on a dull day. The roofpitch is approximately 45 degrees and, to preventdamage by high winds, a special perforated,standing seam cover is used to help equalise windpressures.


10

Glasgow

Some of the architectural press spoke unkindlyabout this building in Glasgow, by local architects,Murray and Dunlop. But sometimes that form ofcriticism can reflect well on the architect and badlyon the press. There is no doubt that the re-claddingof this previously drab office block has helped totransform this commercial area of Scotland’s secondcity. It is of the same family of material as theLiverpool Cathedral but the mirror-type finish is assupplied from the mill. It is 2R or Bright Annealed.

Spectrum Building Glasgow, Scotland

Murray & Dunlop Architects

During manufacture, this material is softened in an inert atmosphere of Nitrogen and Hydrogen. Because there is no oxygen, there is no oxidation,so the bright, cold rolled finish is preservedthroughout.

The architect Frank Gehry has designed severalbuildings in Düsseldorf that use similar materialand they are a spectacular attraction, loved by thepublic and highly acclaimed by the architecturalpress.


11

Gehry

Gehry’s most famous building today is the Guggen-heim gallery in Bilbao. It has a wonderful carbonsteel structure supporting Titanium rainscreencladding. This is a picture of a small section. Tita-nium is an excellent material that has been with usfor many years and, like stainless, can be used tohelp produce dramatic building forms.

Lowry

Similar effects to Bilbao can be produced in stain-less too and with its comparable long life expecta-tions, stainless is a more readily available, betterunderstood option at a much lower cost. The Lowry,

Guggenheim GalleryBilbao, Spain

Frank Gehry, ArchitectTitanium

The Lowry buildingSalford, EnglandMichael Wilford, ArchitectBuro Happold, Engineer

a new arts centre, originally conceived by the archi-tect Sterling, has recently been completed by Mi-chael Wilford Architects and Buro Happold engi-neers. It is in Salford, not far from Liverpool, in thenorth-west of England.


12

The Lowry cladding uses a pre-fixed clip systemsimilar to that used for fully supported roofing.Bilbao is, I understand, a hang-on method. Themain cladding elements here are in 316 in 0.5 mmthick with a Matt-rolled finish. One of the roofs is in5 mm thick Duplex 2205 with an acid-pickled finish.Glazing bars, in 316, have a smooth polished finishas does the main tower on the right, where panelsare extensively perforated.

Polished and perforated panels are seen on the di-stinctly angular exterior cladding and there is plen-ty of good, precise detailing here too. In the back-ground you can see the new Liebeskind buildingfor the Imperial War Museum. A little too much alu-minium there for me, but it promises to be anotherstunning building well worth visiting.

I think the architect must have attended a EuroInox or British Stainless Steel Association seminar,because the use of stainless throughout is quiteextensive. The lightweight exterior cladding is car-ried into the building and here they have cleverlyused stainless mesh as a security curtain. But thisis also a shade as well as an attractive feature in anotherwise bland corridor. Let’s leave Britain againand go across the sea to Ireland, my homeland.

The Lowry buildingSalford, EnglandMichael Wilford, ArchitectBuro Happold, Engineer


13

Spire of Dublin

Ian Ritchie Architects of London won the competitionto provide Dublin with their most striking of newMillennium monuments. This spire will be erectedin the city centre next year. It will be 130 metreshigh, constructed in a 316 grade plate. Thickness ofthe tapering pyramid sections will be 35 mm at thebase and 6 mm at the tip. The surface will begin as1A, basic hot-rolled and will be ground to a smoothgrit finish, below 0.5 microns Ra. Welds will beground smooth before everything is bead blastedto a surface standard that has been extensively te-sted for stain resistance, vandal resistance and cle-anability.

Chicago

Much further West is Chicago where the Blue CrossBlue Shield Medical Insurance company headquar-ters are clad in a smooth texture bright annealedsurface called Linen Cambric. For the bottom floors,or those close to street level, architects Lohan chosegrade 316 to resist the rigours of the Chicaco win-ters: for all the upper floors they were able to specifythe same pattern in grade 304. And they matchperfectly.

Normally, 304 and 316 materials in the same surfacecondition are difficult to tell apart. And, if you ensurethat sheets are fabricated and erected on the buil-ding with the same rolling or polishing direction,the overall appearance will be more consistent.

The Dublin Spire, Dublin, IrelandIan Ritchie ArchitectsOve Arup, Engineers

Blue Cross Blue ShieldChicago, USALohan & Co Architects


14

Jin Mao

Consistency of performance is a vital aspect of anymaterial but consistency of appearance is equally,maybe more so. Skidmore Owings & Merrill de-signed the Jin Mao Tower to service Shanghai’s newgrowing financial sector and it now stands proud inthe Pudong district a stunning view in all directions.Flat panel cladding in 2.5 mm thick 2R textured,again Linen Cambric, is complimented by brightpolished tubular sections over the entire exterior.

Petronas

Like Jin Mao, the Petronas Twin towers, tallest inthe world, use the Linen Cambric type 2R texturefinish. Again, all in 316. Tubular elements featurevery prominently on the exterior where architectsCesar Pelli and the client wanted a consistentlybright, reflective finish that would mirror the growingsuccess of this fast developing region. Approxima-tely 75,000 panels of Linen Cambric were supplied,all to appearance criteria that were agreed withand, strictly monitored by the architect and claddingcontractor. I know many of these panels, personally!

Jin MaoPudong, Shanghai, China

Skidmore Owings & Merrill

Petronas Twin TowersKuala Lumpur, MalaysiaCesar Pelli & Associates


15

KLIA

The new Malaysian national airport is built in re-claimed jungle, between Kuala Lumpur and Singa-pore. The stainless steel is pre-painted on the top-side with PvF2 to help reduce reflectivity on theroofs of the enormous buildings and to allow themto blend with the surrounding jungle vegetation.Some of the roofs have fully welded seams allowingthe special Asian roof shapes to keep out the heavywinter rainfall.

St. Petersburg

We are on the way back to Europe now and, if westop off in St. Petersburg, we can see the beautifulHermitage museum in St. Petersburg. The roof suf-fered from years of neglect and the valuable con-tents of the galleries were at risk. The same materi-al that was used on the Malaysian airport workswell here too. The painted finish restores a rightfulair of tradition to the fully supported roof. Well, theshort tour is over, so lets look forward to the futureand whatever it brings.

Future

Now, we manufacturers try hard to satisfy the needsof designers, with an increasing range of finishes,grades and forms. But we must also try to keep inmind the possible risk that this array of choicesmight become overwhelming to you as well as toourselves.

VVIP BuildingKuala Lumpur Int. Airport, MalaysiaRazaly Associates, Architects

Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, RussiaGerard Prins, Architect

Evers Partners, Consulting Engrs

Expectations or fantasy?

· Fingerprint resistant· Self-cleaning· Coloured alloy· Photo cellular· Microbiological· Organic


16

Gehry New York

Some of these ideas may be fanciful or evenfantastic, but look at Laser technology for example– it’s no longer the science fiction it was twentyyears ago. Here we see a design model of a buildingby Frank Gehry. The fabrication of the cladding maybe easy: making the Swiss Army pocketknife in theforeground could cause some difficulties!

Chrysler

It seems that every presentation on stainless steelhas to contain a picture of this building. Is this thethird time today? But I make no excuses for inclu-ding it here now. An architect, engineer or ownermade some very brave decisions around 70 yearsago. They chose what was then the new wondermaterial, stainless steel, for the cladding on thisbuilding. It is grade 302 with a 2B finish. Somecomponents were replaced during a cleaning pro-gramme in the 1950s and again in the 1990s butthe original material is still there today. It looks asgood as ever and is expected to last at least anothersixty years.

Music TheatreNew York, USAFrank Gehry, Architect

Chrysler BuildingNew York, USA

So we must all try to continue working together toovercome difficulties, to work on the basics: consi-stently high standards of all round quality andreliability should be the goals of us all. Every day.But it is not simply a question of surface finish.


17

The Right Choice

Why has this happened? Because the right choiceswere made: from materials selection, throughmanufacture, erection and maintenance. Thesecriteria are equally important in the decisions thatyou make today. They are the essence of success inany industry sector, not just architecture, buildingand construction.

· material· grade· finish specification· design· manufacture· assembly· maintenance· environmental fit

Court of Human RightsStrasbourg, FranceRichard Rogers Ptrs., Architect

Court of Human Rights

Well now we are back home in France. The court ofHuman Rights in Strasbourg where the architect,Richard Rogers, wanted the outside of the buildingto have an appearance that was reminiscent ofpewter, a traditional material that has kept its air of good, common quality over the centuries. Grade316 is used in 2mm thick for the cladding: thesurface finish is low reflective, Matt rolled.

One of the reasons for choosing this fairly basicfinish was the relatively limited use of manufactur-ing resources. It is a relatively short, basic processbut with delightful results. Closer to nature is whatthe architect liked and how different that seems tothe polishing of the sky mirror we saw earlier. Nowit is up to you to be the judge, to decide what isbest for you. And we will try to help you to find theright solution, to make the right choice.

stainless steel and its visual impact - aplica-inox

Documents