What Architects and Designers Say About Aluminium?
“When I was a boy, I first heard about aluminium. It was a precious metal. It immediately captured my imagination. For a long time people have been extremely happy to claim heaviness and weight as a virtue and merit of design. I was quite in opposition to the idea that architecture should be measured by the pound or by the ton. On the contrary, I thought that if
you could make it extremely light, it would be something of our own.”
Richard J. Neutra, Jewish Austrian-American architect, one of the most influential architects of the twentieth century.
“Aluminium has enabled countless conceptual structures to be realized, giving the architects more flexibility in design exploration and innovation. The possible applications for aluminium structures include windows, facades, roofing, cladding, curtain walling and structural glazing, prefabricated buildings, architectural hardware, H&V, shop fitting and partitions. Aluminium is also used extensively in industrial construction, ladders, scaffolding, thermal insulation, soundproofing, air-conditioning and solar heating,” Dhruva Kalra, principal architect, I’m D’sign.
As a practicing architect, who has been constructing the underground for over forty years, I can sing an ode to this phenomenal metal. It is light, strong, machinable, castable, mouldable, corrosion resistant, heat and electricity conductive, completely recyclable… Open any source of information – an encyclopaedia, a reference book, the Internet – and you will learn so many interesting things about aluminium! Moreover, this is a very efficient material, too, which reacts easily to all design concepts, no matter how unrealistic they might be.” Nikolai Shumakov, people’s architect of Russia, chief architect of Metrogiprotrans Institute, President of the Union of architects of Russia.
Aluminium – unlimited creativity tool for architects and designer
Amardeep Gulri, founder & principal designer, Deco-Arte: “Aluminium is a tool for unlimited creativity in the hands of the architects or interior designer, making it possible to create structures that cannot be made from wood, plastic, or steel. Thanks to its low specific weight, an aluminium plate constitutes half the weight of steel with the same stiffness. So, the weight of aluminium structures is one-half to two-thirds the weight of steel structures and up to one-seventh the weight of reinforced concrete structures with the same bearing capacity, making it a new age element in the field of construction. That is why aluminium is today used in high-rise buildings and skyscrapers. Window frames, panels, domed roofs and other wide-span constructions and ornaments are increasingly made with aluminium. Today, it is used for roofs, siding, translucent panes, window and door frames, staircases, air-conditioning systems, solar protection, heating systems, furniture and many other things.”
“When I need to make a building hover, I use aluminium.”kengo kuma,Kengo Kuma and Associates, Professor in the Department of Architecture at the University of Tokyo.
Santhosh Garudanagiri Lingappaiah, partner, KK & GL Partners: “As the material is lightweight and durable, it leads to a new architectural and structural flexibility of designing large scale and span structures with less time. It requires less onsite fabrication compared to steel and adds to the simplicity of fabrication. Also, it’s ideal to build for both low temperature and high moisture conditions.”
Sarabjit Singh, architecturaldesigner and founder, Villa Ortiga Design Studio: “Trends in aluminium structures tend to push the boundaries of window openings; less frames and more glass make expanses seem endless. Seamless integration of façade and openings is possible only because of aluminium structures. As technology develops, they will get more lightweight and easier to install and find their way to all elements of building design. The day we start using aluminium doors, bathroom fittings and even aluminium furniture, is not far away.”
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