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2 COPPER ARCHITECTURE FORUM 36/2014

Copper Architecture Forum 36, May 2014Copper Architecture Forum is part of the ”European Copper In Architecture Campaign”. It is published twice a year and has a circulation of 25.000 copies.

The magazine is distributed to architects and building professionals throughout Europe – and beyond – in English, Czech, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Russian and Spanish languages.

EDITORIAL

Front Cover: Ferry Terminal Buildings, Stockholm (page 20)Photo: Johan Fowelin

Editor in Chief: Robert PinterEditor: Chris Hodson RIBAEditorial team: Ari Lammikko, Chris Hodson, Graeme Bell, Herbert Mock,Hermann Kersting, Irina Dumitrescu, Robert PinterE-mail: [email protected]: CAF, European Copper Institute, Avenue de Tervueren 168 b-10, B-1150 Brussels, Belgium Publisher: Nigel Cotton, ECI Layout and technical production: Naula Grafisk Design, Sweden/ECIPrinting: Copy & Consulting Kft., HungaryEditorial panel:Birgit Schmitz, De [email protected] Zakrzewski, Pl [email protected] Crespi, It [email protected] Hay, UK [email protected] Vergopoulos, Gr [email protected] Diaz, Es [email protected] Tissot, Fr [email protected] Voutilainen, Se, No, Fi, Dk [email protected] Pintér, Hu, Cz, Svk, Ru [email protected] Pianet, Benelux [email protected]

© Copper Architecture Forum 2014

ILLUMINATING COPPER ARCHITECTURE

We open this issue with the results of the 2013 European Copper in Architecture Awards and make no apologies for reminding ourselves of the outstanding quality of the shortlisted and award winning projects, as well as the diverse applications of copper on display. The outright winner – Platform of Arts and Creativity in Guimarães, Portugal – is exceptional and we explore the architect’s approach in a revealing interview (page 8) with Fernando de Sá, founding partner of Pitágoras Arquitectos.

Equally illuminating is another building (page 10) by the same architect, also in Guimarães. This is the first of several regeneration projects within historic urban environments covered here, providing fascinating comparisons. Other contrasting and equally uncompromising approaches to medieval street settings are taken with a new museum in Duderstadt, Germany (page 14) and a hotel addition completing a street frontage in Visby, Sweden (page 18).

Also in Sweden, low-key, but thoroughly contemporary structures provide services to ferry travellers along Stockholm’s historic waterfront (page 20). Other examples of more modest interventions – bus shelters, access facilities and even planters – demonstrate the role that copper can play in defining the streetscape (page 22).

In the second half of this issue, the focus moves towards the diversity of copper forms being explored by designers today. In Litzendorf, Germany, a new community centre takes on a pure, crystalline form where roofs and walls become a singular, copper alloy mesh surface, achieved with clever detailing (page 24). Considered details also define the rhythmic relationship between copper and glass at the heart of a new university building in Bialystok, Poland (page 26). Meanwhile, in Hof, Germany, special techniques have been used to achieve completely flat, pristine copper panels interspersed with glazing on a radiotherapy centre, combining a technological feel with a sense of warmth (page 29).

The combination of copper and its alloys with other materials is an area of growing interest and the new gymnasium for an Italian football club explores the relationship of timber and brass, anchoring the building to its pivotal location (page 32). Our final example shows a golden copper alloy playing a key role within a predominantly brick Parisian social housing block (page 36).

Copper Architecture Forum is only made possible by the enthusiastic involvement of architects around Europe. You can submit projects or let us have your comments by emailing your local representative from the Editorial panel or to our central e-mail address. We are keen to hear from you.

The Editorial Team

Register for Copper Architecture Forum – copperconcept.orgView magazine back issues – copperconcept.orgContact the Editorial Team – [email protected] your project to the website – copperconcept.orgSee the European Copper in Architecture Awards – copperconcept.org

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© Copper Architecture Forum 2014

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Read on iPad for free

2 Illuminating Copper Architecture – editorial comment

4 – 9 Rewarding Copper – the results – The European Copper

in Architecture Awards, including an interview with the Winner

10 – 13 The Architecture of Memories – regeneration of an historic

industrial environment in Guimarães, Portugal

14 – 17 Modern meets Medieval – a contemporary museum in Duderstadt,

Germany reflects its ancient surroundings

18 – 19 A View from the Street – this modern extension to a hotel

completes the streetscape in the World Heritage city of Visby, Sweden

20 – 21 Marine Interventions – brass clad Ferry Terminal buildings link

Stockholm’s iconic quayside to the city

22 – 23 Urban Interventions – copper structures for a variety of uses add

to landscape and urban design

24 – 25 Copper Crystal – copper alloy mesh seamlessly envelopes

this community building in Litzendorf, Germany

26 – 28 Sylvan Evocations – a forest setting inspired the rhythmic copper

facade of this university building in Bialystok, Poland

29 – 31 Copper Reflections – a Radiotherapy Centre in Hof, Germany

distances itself from traditional copper cladding

32 – 35 Brass Football – this new gymnasium provides a catalyst

for regeneration in Zingonia, Italy

36 – 39 Machines for Living – a golden copper alloy acts as a counterpoint

to the brick mass of this Parisian residential building

CONTENTS


REWARDING COPPER- the results

by Chris Hodson

In our last issue, we discussed the 2013 European Copper in Architecture Awards and reviewed the ten projects shortlisted. Here, we can reveal the winners – announced at a presentation event held at the international BATIMAT show in Paris last November – and summarise the judges’ comments.

With a record 82 entries, the 2013 Awards proved to be a celebration of the very best in contemporary architecture. The panel of judges (all recipients of previous Copper in Architecture Awards) – Einar Jarmund (Jarmund/Vigsnæs, Norway); Craig Casci (Grid Architects, UK); Davide Macullo (Davide Macullo Architects, Switzerland) and Anu Puustinen (Avanto Architects, Finland) – settled on ten shortlisted projects that stood out from the rest, revealing a real diversity of typologies and approaches, and excellent architectural qualities.

Each of the shortlisted entries was then fully debated and compared with the others, initially revealing differing opinions which ebbed and flowed amongst the four judges. Eventually, a clear consensus was reached revealing three particularly strong, and very different, schemes meriting Commendation

Shortlisted project architects after presenting their schemes, with the European Copper Institute’s Nigel Cotton (left) – Photo: Edgar Stouvenot

…and a clear Winner of exceptional quality – the Platform of Arts and Creativity, Guimarães, Portugal by Pitágoras Arquitectos. Interestingly, the Public Choice Winner was Dolomitenblick, Sexten, Italy by Plasma Studio, with the most votes cast on-line.

The Awards were announced and all ten shortlisted projects presented at a special event held during BATIMAT in Paris last November, followed by a lively reception where architects, journalists and copper specialists mixed. Throughout the 4-day BATIMAT show, Awards projects were on display for visitors to explore at a dedicated, interactive stand.

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The dedicated European Copper in Architecture Awards stand at BATIMAT – Photo: Edgar Stouvenot

AWARDS2013

The 2013 Awards Shortlist [All ten shortlisted projects were featured in our 2013/35 issue]

Seinäjoki City Library, Finland JKMM Architects

Beslan Memorial, Republic of North Ossetia-Alania Dr Krekeler Generalplaner GmbH

LCV law-court offices, Venice, Italy C+S Architects

Covering of the Runic Stones, Jelling, Denmark NOBEL arkitekter

L’Atelier, Gournay en Bray, France Vincent Parreira Atelier Architecture

Clarion Hotel Post, Gothenburg, Sweden Semrén & Månsson

Platform of Arts and Creativity, Guimarães, Portugal Pitágoras Arquitectos

Pôle Educatif et Culturel, Pau, France Marjan Hessamfar & Joe Vérons Architectes Associés

Radio-log Strahlentherapie, Hof, Germany Hiendl_Schineis Architekten [Featured on page 29]

Dolomitenblick, Sexten, Italy Plasma Studio

Fernando de Sá (right) receives the Winner’s Award on behalf of Pitágoras Arquitectos – Photo: Edgar Stouvenot

Examples of the bronze awards, with the Public Choice Winner ibex (left) and a Commendation Cycladic head (right) – Photo: Edgar Stouvenot


Seinäjoki City Library, Finland JKMM Architects

The judges applauded this assertive but respectful addition to the most extensive cluster of Alvar Aalto buildings in the world. The massive, pristine white ‘frames’ to openings work well in counterpoint to the rustic feel of the naturally weathering pre-oxidised copper of the external skin. A centrifugal plan form with changing levels generates lively, open spaces that will prove popular with users. The building sits comfortably amongst its illustrious neighbours while retaining its individuality – a real achievement that justifies its Commendation.[Featured in our 2012/33 issue]

Covering of the Runic Stones, Jelling, Denmark NOBEL arkitekter

In terms of its programme, the judges considered this project to be a ‘one-line poem’ – but found it exquisite nonetheless and certainly deserving of a Commendation. In this deceptively simple design, everything has been cleverly reduced down to a pure beauty. The interventions to this ancient site can be seen as a pair of perfectly crafted jewel boxes of real quality, substantially enhancing the visitors’ experience of the runic stones that they so carefully – but discreetly – protect.[Featured in our 2012/33 issue]

Dolomitenblick, Sexten, Italy Plasma Studio

The judges were seduced by the brilliant photographs and presentation of this entry, effortlessly displaying its strong sense of form and context. The design of this luxury apartment building echoes both Alpine topography and traditional roof forms, redefining the local vernacular. The rigorous use of copper and timber, both inside and out, to define the sculpted mass is impressive. It is a building designed and completed with conviction, justifying its recognition with a Commendation. This project was also the Public Choice Winner.[Featured in our 2013/35 issue]

THE COMMENDATIONS

AWARDS2013

Photo: Mika Huisman

Photo: Jens Lindhe

Photo: Hertha Hurnaus

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The awards brochure can be downloaded and images and information about all the entries can be found at: copperconcept.org/awards.

Platform of Arts and Creativity, Guimarães, Portugal Pitágoras Arquitectos

Pitágoras Arquitectos’ regeneration of the ancient centre of one of Portugal’s most historically important cities is defined by unifying abstract cubic forms, veiled by a grid of brass profiles. The judges spent time discovering the numerous qualities of this inscrutable entry on several levels. The more they looked, the more was revealed.

The design is a confident response to the challenges of working within a UNESCO and City of Culture site. Pulling together a diversity of old buildings, the regeneration gives a new civic heart to the city – looking to the future as well as the past. It is telling that the project was designed by locally based architects.

THE WINNER

Photo: João Morgado

Externally, the brass profile grid dematerialises the building’s mass, adding an extra, translucent dimension, while the flexible, white internal spaces flow gracefully one into the other. The design takes a clever, fresh approach which the judges described simply as fantastic. Of all the entries, this is the project that all the judges most want to visit and explore – a worthy Winner.


AWARDS2013


FERNANDO DE SÁ INTERVIEWChris Hodson caught up with the founding partner of Award Winners Pitágoras Arquitectos to discuss the practice’s work.

CH: How important to you is international recognition through Awards like these?FS: Recognition is important – although it’s always a surprise for us – as it gives some visibility to our work, recognizing and validating our approach.

CH: The Guimarães project has also won other awards, including the 2013 Mies Award, ‘red dot – best of the best 2013’ and Detail magazine readers’ prize. With growing recognition do you expect more international work and will this change your approach?FS: We have already done some work internationally – in Ghana, Mozambique, and Brazil – and are actively seeking other markets where our work can be developed. If awards help further expansion of our international operations, all the better. Our approach will probably stay the same, although with more effort in understanding local realities for each case – something that we consider essential in developing any project.

CH: Can you explain your interests and preferences in terms of choosing materials for your projects?

FS: I think this comes, not from a simple search, but the realisation of untapped potential and uses of numerous materials, able to serve each project, distinct reality and intended expression. Essentially, it is necessary to have a very clear conscience about materials and their impact on architecture.

CH: How did the choice of brass as one of the main external materials for the Guimarães project develop? FS: The material and its composition made it possible for the building to have specific characteristics such as gloss, rhythm, transparency and opacity – and so the choice was very natural but supported by the possibilities of local manufacturing. It meant that several prototypes were executed during the design phase to gauge the possibilities for implementation of the facade panels and their respective costs, achieving the best balance between these two factors.

CH: Do you think the fact that you are locally based architects influence the project’s design?FS: Absolutely. It starts with the confidence of the Owner. Then, our knowledge of local realities – physical, social and

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FERNANDO DE SÁ INTERVIEW

economic – helps us to be more assertive in the proposals and projects we do.

CH: Much of your work has been built in and around Guimarães. What impact do you think Pitágoras has had on this historic town?FS: Guimarães has made an enormous effort, not only recovering its historic centre but also equipping itself for a new paradigm of regional and local development, more focused on knowledge and qualifications for people. Through our buildings, we see ourselves as agents of this fundamental change to our collective future.

CH: Which architects or teachers have influenced you most?FS: Pitágoras partners had their training as architects in the Oporto School, and with teachers such as Tavora, Siza or Souto de Moura. But, more than the direct influence of this or that teacher or individual, we have learnt that it’s most important to keep our eyes wide open to reality – both local and global.

CH: How would you summarise your approach to architecture – do you and your colleagues see yourself as modernists?FS: For us – and this has been the way of architecture in Portugal – the most important factors are location and attention to detail. Regarding categorization of our work, it is better if others do that. Yes, we are interested in learning from ‘modernism’ – but from its mistakes as well as its achievements.

CH: What is the collaborative process between you and your colleagues in Pitágoras when working on a project? FS: We see ourselves always as a collective throughout the entire office, whatever the geometry we use to perform a specific job.

CH: Away from architecture, when you have time, how do you relax away from architecture?FS: There are plenty of pleasurable things to do in the world beyond architecture, starting with the first coffee in the morning…


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The project sits in the old “Zona de Couros” (Leather Zone) and is connected to it by alleys and paths following the small river that brought the leather treatment industry to the area. Now, “Zona de Couros” is characterised by abandoned or transformed buildings – but also by memories, sometimes imaginary, developed from the historic fragments that remain today. These include a few leather treatment tanks, the small river and a rich heritage of industrial buildings with an undeniable architectural interest, providing us with themes for reflection and development.

Architect: Pitágoras ArquitectosPhotos: José CamposCopper Product: natural copper

The Platform of Arts and Creativity wasn’t the only Pitágoras project in Guimarães entered for the Awards. Although not shortlisted, the Centre for Advanced Postgraduate Formation (CAFPG) for the University of Minho caught the eye of each judge. Here, Pitágoras explain their response to an historic industrial environment.

OF MEMORIESTHE ARCHITECTURE


The redundant factory for our project was a set of structures arranged around a large courtyard. The CAFPG building now has living areas, classrooms and administrative accommodation on the ground floor. On the first floor are offices, laboratories and activity rooms – but also the library that connects with social areas. The circulation has an irregular geometry to give space to “living labs” for presentation of current academic projects.

“The urban context of this project meant, paradoxically, a strict retention of the volumes of the original building and also its reconstruction, which in our view had

to be done with a light construction system. Here, copper – with its technical qualities and ageing characteristics – became the obvious solution. The copper sheet cladding

ensured, without mimicry, dialogue with the traditional materials on site.”

Fernando de Sá


In the design, we avoided a rigid approach to intervention and implementation, instead applying a pragmatic and detailed response to each problem the project presented. Paradoxically, we adopted a fundamental principle of retaining the volumes of the original building as an essential repository of its memory. External materials reflect the “Zona de Couros” – wood and granite – together with a lightweight upper level construction clad with copper. In contrast, the complete reconstruction of the interiors uses a contemporary design language and modern finishes.


MODERNMEETS MEDIEVAL


Architect: Gnädinger Architekten

Copper Installer: Eduard Koch Bedachungsgesellschaft mbH

Copper Product: TECU® Gold

Photos: Markus Hattwig

The essence of a medieval town, from twisted spires to timber-framed houses bent over by age, is embodied in the new Museum of Historical Marksmanship, Duderstadt, described here by its designers Gnädinger Architekten.

Duderstadt, situated in the neighbourhood of Göttingen, ranks among the 10 most important ‘half-timbered’ towns in Germany. Besides the historic town hall, one of the most striking landmarks is the medieval “Westerturm”, with its distinctive twisted spire, integrated within the oldest sections of the city fortifications. In 2009 it was decided to undertake the renovation of an abandoned half-timbered house next to the tower and to install a museum for historical marksmanship, thus incorporating the tower with another house on its east side that had been badly restored some years before.

The massive, historic stone wall acts as a support for the structure on one side of the ensemble. In addition to the re-established half-timbered structure, we designed an expressive new wing made of concrete, consisting of assembled triangular folds. The addition mainly houses emergency staircases, as well as a gallery with a void in front of a big window. In keeping with the shape of the new building, the three storey open staircases are also sculptural in design and form.


“The inclined facades of the new wing refer to the similarly inclined facades of old typical half-timbered houses in the neighbourhood, but in totally different

and new ways. The golden skin was chosen in reference to the shiny metal surfaces of old weapons like armour, swords and shields.”

Christoph Claus, Gnädinger Architekten

Golden Copper Alloy

The facade is clad with golden copper alloy panels of various sizes, set in an uneven pattern, executed by a specialist contractor and exhibiting particularly high craftsmanship standards. The result is a completely foreign body, adding an exciting new quality – partly rigid and partly organic – among the other houses in this idyllic setting. A new steel bridge over a reconstructed parapet makes it possible to take a walk along part of the ancient town’s fortifications.

The museum’s interior is mainly characterised by a limited palette of materials: raw steel on the floor and the balustrades, black painted wood surfaces for furniture and doors (imprinted with sulphur yellow texts and images) and exposed concrete inside the new wing, contrasting with the old stone wall. Here, the exhibition offers three storeys of different media installations and historical exhibits, giving insights into such themes as shooting, city defence and town life in the middle-ages. The first floor is dedicated to the archers and riflemen who formed a special militia to defend the city.


COPPER IN DETAIL


A VIEW FROM THE STREET

Architect: VISBYARKCopper Installer: Gardells Plåt ABCopper Product: Nordic StandardPhotos: Roland Hejdström

Walking down Strandgatan in the heart of Visby, the medieval World Heritage City of Gotland, Sweden, you will come across a shiny, copper-clad box, shimmering over the street. This box is the most prominent part of the recently completed extension of The Clarion Hotel Visby.

Through the acquisition and conversion of an adjacent property, 77 rooms have been added to the hotel. The new extension links this to the original hotel at first floor level and creates an intriguing entrance from Strandgatan to the hotel garden. Seated on a solid base of concrete, the visually lighter copper box provides Strandgatan with a continuous street facade and adds to the variety of the streetscape.

The last of our trio of contemporary interventions at heritage sites, this new copper link completes and enlivens an historic street frontage while following the local tradition of narrow gap views through to the back, as architect Sven Landahl of VISBYARK explains.


Site Plan

Copper Box

New buildings on a prominent street in a world heritage city such as Visby demand great sensitivity in design. The architectural expression of the new link building was discussed in detail with the city’s planning and listed building authorities. The design is contemporary but, at the same time, follows Visby’s traditional format of “a hole in the wall”. The main materials are copper, glass and concrete, and other notable characteristics are the black steel wall at street level and the ‘green’ roof.

The space inside the new link – dubbed ‘The Copper Hall’ – provides a dining area, bar and lounge. The interior of each part of the hotel now reflects various periods in its history and offers a journey through time, from the medieval to the present day.

Architect: VISBYARKCopper Installer: Gardells Plåt ABCopper Product: Nordic StandardPhotos: Roland Hejdström


MARINE INTERVENTIONS

A series of new Ferry Terminal buildings link Stockholm’s iconic quayside to the city


MARINE INTERVENTIONS

These low-key structures along the city centre water-front defer to their historic surrounding and prioritise open views of the Royal Palace. The architect’s concept involves interacting ‘cones’ – units of varying size and number depending on the project and location, generating buildings without specific fronts or backs.

Roofs and walls are clad with burnished brass, which harmonises well with the stone and stucco facades in the background and creates a unified, sculptural expression. In addition, variations in surface texture are achieved using different techniques. On this exposed quayside site, brass also offers great corrosion resistance and durability.

Architect: Marge ArkitekterCopper Product: Nordic BrassPhotos: Johan Fowelin


Architect: Schockguyan Arch.Copper Product: TECU® Brass Photo: Thomas Züger

Architect: AR THEME AssociésCopper Product: TECU® Patina Photo: Carl Lang

URBAN INTERVENTIONS

We start with two very different takes on the ubiquitous public shelter, an increasingly important element in sustainable transport by bus, train or tram. In Wettingen, Switzerland, the bus station is defined by flat, curved form brass canopies punctuated by rooflights and floating on thin columns.

This sleek modernism contrasts with the Abribus shelters programme in Rouen, France. Here, the architects sought easily identifiable objects on a human scale to mark particular locations and express a sense of movement. The green pre-patinated copper references the city’s Cathedral spires, while the transparent, organic ‘leaf’ motif can be seen as reminiscent of Guimard’s art nouveau Metropolitain entrances in Paris.

Chris Hodson examines the growing role of copper in urban and landscape design – as well as architecture – in various structures linked to transport, infrastructure and streetscape projects around Europe.


Brown Hart Gardens

Meanwhile in London, rejuvenation of this elevated public space, above a protected electricity substation originally built in 1905, uses a material language of copper, glass and timber for contemporary interventions, clearly differentiated from the original Edwardian Baroque style Portland stone structure. BDP Project Architect Sara Edmonds said:

Architect: BDPCopper Product: Nordic BlueTM LivingPhotos: Chris Hodson

Architect: Schockguyan Arch.Copper Product: TECU® Brass Photo: Thomas Züger

Architect: AR THEME AssociésCopper Product: TECU® Patina Photo: Carl Lang

Copper-clad planters incorporate concealed lighting.

A new staircase and lift structure meets modern accessibility demands and announces the Gardens’ entrance to pedestrians approaching from Oxford Street.

“We wanted to use copper as it has historic associations as well as being a modern material. But there were also technical considerations, as only lightweight construction could be supported by the original deck. We decided on a particular, gentle blue-green shade of copper pre-patination to complement the Portland stone.”


by Chris Hodson

COPPER CRYSTAL

Clever detailing and construction enables copper alloy ribbed mesh to seamlessly envelope both the facades and roofs of this library building, adding richness, texture and depth evenly across all its surfaces.

The new building aims to give an iconic civic focus to the German town of Litzendorf, as part of an urban development promotion programme. It provides a new community centre including a library, exhibition and presentation rooms, and offices. The result of an architectural competition, architects H²M’s design for the 3-storey library is a prominent landmark defined by its crisp edged crystalline form, veiled in a golden copper alloy mesh, interrupted only by deep-set, glazed incisions.


Architect: H²MCopper Installer: Fleischer MetallfaszinationenCopper Product: TECU® GoldPhotos: Fleischer MetallFaszinationen

Then, the transition from façade to roof is almost seamless, with a gutter hidden above copper-alloy sheet formed cappings which contain the façade mesh. Below the copper alloy roofing mesh is a standard copper covering fully supported by a substrate, insulated beneath. Copper downpipes are cleverly concealed in the void behind the mesh facades.

Seamless Continuity Achieving surface continuity across walls and pitched roofs proved no easy feat. The facades were conceived as free-ventilated curtain-wall constructions with waterproof mineral wool insulation over a concrete wall structure, protected by a facing sheet. Panels of copper alloy ribbed mesh were then fixed to the outside on a sub-structure incorporating clamp-springs to allow for tolerances demanded by the mesh. The specialist installer likened the installation and alignment of mesh panels to: “papering with decorative wallpapers. You have to do it very precisely and look after both horizontal and vertical sides at the same time.”

COPPER IN DETAIL

Façade Corner detail with concealed downpipe Eaves Transition detail with concealed gutter


SYLVAN EVOCATIONS

The Lecture and Performance Hall for the Faculty of Pedagogy and Psychology at the University of Bialystok is defined by its entrance façade. Here, slim vertical panels of copper and glazing alternate, moving rhythmically across the building in three horizontal bands, reflecting the adjacent Zwierzyniecki Forest. The central entrance is announced

The copper and glass front of this new university building in Bialystok, Poland

takes its cue from its setting at the edge of a forest, as Chris Hodson explains.

by a welcoming concave curve, also acting as a ‘pivot’ to one side of the frontage, with each floor level shifting forward of the one below. This device creates a dramatic corner at a street intersection, revealing the self-contained nature of the copper façade, contrasting with the building’s other, grey brick elevations.


The internal layout is bisected by a longitudinal circulation route, highlighted by long cuts in ceilings and penetrated by a central rooflight. The main part of the building provides a flexible performance and exhibition space, with opposed banks of raked seating for 150 and 300 people, facing a central performance area. Soundproof mobile walls enable sub-division of the spaces for different functions. Ceiling-mounted acoustic panels of perforated copper sheet and copper grid are used throughout the space, referencing the front elevation. Across the circulation route, smaller spaces provide a theatre, music and arts rooms, lecture halls and cafeteria.

Architect: Arkon Jan Kabac & Meteor Architects

Copper Product: Nordic BrownTM

Photos: Bogdan Pszonak

Ground Floor Plan Scale 1:500

First Floor Plan Scale 1:500

Second Floor Plan Scale 1:500

Section Scale 1:500


COPPER IN DETAIL

Creating the copper façade’s character

Conceived as a distinct, independent element of the building, the entrance façade is arranged in three strong horizontal bands. Verticality is introduced with alternating panels of copper and glass, and accentuated by raised joints between copper sheets within panels. These joints are set out at

apparently random centres, intentionally un-aligned between floor levels adding a tree-like complexity and animation to the surface. The copper panels sit forward of, and overlap the glazing creating strong shadows and adding to the visual detachment of the façade.

Facade Detail Scale 1:25

1. Rounded Nordic BrownTM sheet 1mm2. Facade covering in Nordic BrownTM panel 0,7 mm3. Aluminium “C” profile 2 mm4. Plywood panel 18 mm5. Aluminium “L” profile 2 mm6. Perforated Nordic BrownTM sheet 1 mm7. Steel sheet 4 mm Plan - Facade Detail Scale 1:5

Plan

Elevation Section


COPPER REFLECTIONS

Plan - Facade Detail Scale 1:5

Hiendl_Schineis Architekten describe their European Copper in Architecture Awards Shortlisted design for the Radiotherapy Centre in Hof, Germany, which distances itself from the traditions of copper cladding with crisply detailed, pristine copper surfaces.


Architect: Hiendl_Schineis Architekten

Copper Product: TECU® Bond

Photos: Eckhart Matthäus, Augsburg

A simple cubic form, the building breaks free of its restrictions and plays with the angled lines of the facade panel sections. Clusters of trees grow around the building, sometimes producing shadow, accentuating the verticality of the design. The façade is divided into non-parallel sections that develop a lively interplay with the surrounding trees.

The material used for the curtain-walling is copper, which will age with time. The changing seasons are reflected in the subtle colour changes that will occur in the metal, from luminous bright copper to a warm red-brown – from shiny to matt.

The curtain-wall façade is applied using a specially developed adhesive system to give a completely flat surface with crisp edges. The shimmering green glass breaking up the copper facade scatters light internally and, at night, spreads light from inside to out, bringing the building to life.



De8 architetti describe their new brass-clad gymnasium, used by Bergamo’s Atalanta BC football club, which makes the most of its prominent pivotal location as a catalyst for the regeneration of a 1960s ‘new town’.

Zingonia, in the province of Bergamo, Italy, was intended as a new “city of workers”. But from the 50,000 residents anticipated, only 2,000 remain today, of which three-quarters are immigrants. With new ownership and as the home of the Atalanta soccer team, development of the Atalanta Sport Centre will play an important role in reversing the economic and social decline of the town.

BRASS FOOTBALL


Architect: De8 architetti

Copper Installer: Rubner Objektbau GmbH / Bauspenglerei Kammerer Paul GmbH

Copper Product: TECU® Brass

Photos: Danielle De Lonti

The first project – the new timber and brass Gym – anticipates the overall vision of the master plan, which includes a new youth centre (a key strength of the soccer team), new press room and a coherent redesign of the access flows throughout the site.

The new Gym reconnects the training grounds and the main building (providing dressing rooms and headquarters for the main team) in a new continuum space. It introduces a new architectural language and acts as a hub – all the athletes pass through the Gym, even to reach the training grounds. It also establishes a strong bond with the surroundings and existing trees are accommodated by the plan form and positions of openings. The Gym is a privileged observation point of the park and the training grounds.

FOOTBALL


Cross Section – the green-roofed building has a timber-framed pergola in front with the brass-clad angled wing beyond.

Floor Plan – the building acts as a focus for circulation around the whole site, merging inside and outside spaces.

Roof Plan – the main, ‘green’ roof is Sedum planted, while the lower roof of the angled wing is clad in brass.

Location Plan – the new gym acknowledges the existing building on this prominent site, then turns towards the sports fields.


A prefabricated timber construction system enabled construction on site within a 60-day summer break in the sporting calendar. Without plasterboard, the entire wooden structure is visible giving a material ‘honesty’ and defining a hybrid space between inside and outside. Indeed, the project could also be considered as a landscape scheme.

To the south the Gym is clearly defined with a solid wall keeping out street noise. But to the north, toward the training grounds, the wood structure and generous openings blur the building’s perception. New bamboo and pre-existing trees merge in front of and behind the scenes, and are reflected and amplified by the building’s brass skin.


MACHINES FOR LIVING


Social housing

for migrants

60 studios

Social housing

for young workers

120 studios

Entrance / Lobby area

Social housing

for young workers

60 studios

Activity Area

Staff Housing / Lobby

Young workers

Staff Housing / Lobby

Kindergarten

Kindergarten

Maximium volume-

respecting the building size

Communal space-

overlooking the city

Collective Programs

Natural light pathway

Intersection

Clearly inspired by Le Corbusier’s Unité d’Habitation buildings, this high density community for young workers and migrants provides homes envisioned as “machines for living”, as its architects explain. Here, a golden copper alloy acts as a rich counterpoint to the building’s dominant brick mass.

The Zac des lilas project provides 240 studios, a 66-place crèche and other communal facilities for RIVP, one of the major players in social housing in Paris. Located just outside the périphérique ring road, the building aims to link Paris with the Les Lilas area. Immersed in a complex three-dimensional environment (the périphérique, local topography and the terrace of an art-house cinema), the building references the changing levels, creating its own system of ‘urban balconies’ that converse with the various strata.

The street level is principally occupied by the crèche, but we chose to design all the other public spaces (library, gym and communal kitchen) on the upper level R+3. This makes them more accessible to residents, facilitates monitoring and creates an “open” feel to the building. Here, activity ‘boxes’ are arranged freely, creating outdoor spaces facing the terrace of the cinemas (on the same level). Complementing the horizontal split in the building is a vertical ‘fault’ in the facade onto avenue du Docteur Gley, bringing natural light into the building and creating a convivial atmosphere on each floor. Similarly, stairwells are all naturally lit and we wanted to encourage maximum use of these spaces (at the expense of installing an elevator, for example).

Photo: David Foessel


Photo: Luc Boegly

Photo: Luc Boegly


Copper Counterpoint

The overall volume is treated with a homogeneous skin of brick, promoting sustainability and low maintenance. The horizontal and vertical breaks in the facade are clad in a golden copper alloy. The luminosity and reflective quality of this material contrasts with the velvet texture of the anthracite brick.

The apartment typology is seen as a “machine for living”, designed to make full use of the available volume and provide versatility and flexibility in organising spaces (for example with bespoke furniture, a mobile wall that can close off the kitchen and a fixed frame that allows natural light into the bathroom). The compactness of the facade permits large, 2m×2m glazed openings for each 18m² studio. Perforated metal shutters (repeating the pattern of the brick) are installed on all windows, assuring good thermal comfort.

Photo: Samuel Lehuéde

Photo: Luc Boegly Photo: Luc Boegly

“The luminosity and reflective quality of the copper alloy contrasts with the velvet texture of the anthracite brick”

Architects: Avenier&Cornejo and Chartier-DalixCopper Installer: RAIMOND SASCopper Product: TECU® Gold


COPPERCONCEPT.ORG

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