Architects about facades

Russia's first building with a COR-TEN steel facade has arrived.

It's the Ferrum Business Center in St. Petersburg, built on the site of the former Rossiya machine-building plant.

So what's so special about this material? It's a composite alloy that is highly corrosion-resistant and extremely strong, which is why it's also called "eternal" steel.

It has a velvety texture and a distinctive rusty-red patina. The secret is that its dense oxide film (the rust) acts as a protective shell that keeps water from penetrating any deeper into the metal. Weather resistance matters all the more in St. Petersburg's climate.

Interestingly, the patina doesn't appear right away but develops over the course of use, which means the building's look changes over time. There are even special treatments for creating the oxide film in a controlled way.

To give the office building's plain rectangular volume a distinctive look, the architects alternated flat and protruding steel modules, creating the illusion of weaving wrapped around a glass base. It looks like either the floating threads of a woven "warp and weft" fabric or a basket made of birch bark.

The Ferrum BC is just one part of a large-scale redevelopment of the industrial area. For instance, there's already a building dedicated to the theatrical work of the artist Alexandre Benois, known from Diaghilev's "Ballets Russes."

The designs were developed by the architecture firm TCHOBAN VOSS Architekten.

This project is several years old, but I still come back to it in my mind from time to time.

So what makes it so compelling? Which techniques made it memorable?

If all the walls were covered uniformly in brickwork, it would make your eyes glaze over, and the projecting section with the garages would steal the attention.

So I decided to set off the central part of the house with lighter plaster, and to keep it from looking like a random patch, I laid a decorative mosaic panel over it to tie it back to the mottled brick.

Notice the decorative surrounds — they don't go all the way around the windows, so as not to overload the house, but sit only at the top and bottom to emphasize the openings.

The window frames are graphite, matching the tone of the roof; you have to admit, it just wouldn't be the same with white plastic.

The result is a striking example of an understated classic — but with a twist.

Here's a look at the techniques I used in a recent project.

First, the sharp gables and stone trim already nod to the Tudor style.

Second, the refined color combination of blue shutters and reddish brick. You don't see this pairing much around here — and for good reason, in my opinion. The roof is graphite, the most discreet choice, so it doesn't pull attention away from the rest.

Third, instead of the classic decorative surrounds around the windows, there's decorative vertical brickwork.

Fourth, that same band of brick acts as an informal boundary between the plinth and the wall, and also serves as a crowning cornice under the roof.

Fifth, a clean, restrained pattern with no unnecessary curls on the wrought-iron fencing.

I think we ended up with a good example of style that speaks to the present day.

I start every project with sketches, moving step by step with the client toward the house of their dreams. It's an important stage, and one not to be underestimated — sketching is still one of the most important ways of expressing ideas in architecture. Every time I land on the right image, I get excited about making a house special, with its own character and personality.

A 4-story building in Utrecht, the Netherlands, 16 meters tall, built from 99% recycled materials.

With this project, the architect, Alessandro Zena, shows just how much is possible with recycled materials — and that they can be used to build fairly tall structures, too.

Because the building sits close to a train station, old platform sections were used for the foundations, and the old yellow station signs were worked into the façade.

The foundation is made of cellular glass, a material created from recycled glass that can no longer be turned back into glass. It's very durable, and it can be reused again after demolition.

The floors are made with a mix of cement and recycled concrete, cutting the amount of cement used by 20%.

The main building material is laminated lumber salvaged from the demolition of a school in Rotterdam.

To reinforce the environmental message, one of the façade walls is covered with a wooden mosaic made from leftover building material, and it doubles as a shelter for birds, insects, and bats.

The building already houses design offices and a business center, and by the end of 2021 there are plans to open a store selling recycled materials, along with a garden on the top floor.

When it's +33℃ in Moscow (like right now) and you still have to go to the office, you want it to look like this.

It turns out the workplace solutions made for tropical climates suit us pretty well too.

You have to head into the office, and you want it to look like this.

What's the trick?

First, effective shading from the sun's slanting rays, thanks to projecting boxes of wooden slats across the façade. Second, a move away from rigid structures and toward open-air space for greenery. And third, an abundance of plants that make the façade look interesting not only from the outside but also from the inside.

Summer, the sea — well, not really) But we can dream.

The designs for this project are in the Mediterranean style.

The defining feature of the Mediterranean style — color: the walls should be light, so they reflect the sun and keep the rooms from overheating. That's why the main wall finish for the house in our project — beige plaster with a textured application. Shutters, pergolas for climbing plants, a large balcony, and majolica above the windows all help round out the complete look of the house.

Bright shutters add a splash of color to a calm, understated façade.

It helps to echo the shutters with color elsewhere so they don't look out of place, which is what we did with the front door. But it's important to keep the balance and not overdo it — green roof tiles, for example, would have been too much.

Another nice detail in the house's trim — the brickwork around the windows and under the roof.

We also offered the client a more contrasting option with a deep maroon wall color, which works well with the green shutters and white rusticated inlays.

What does contemporary residential design look like in India?

Rapid urbanization and housing demand, new technologies and folk traditions, climate and culture — all of it has to be weighed and balanced as the country finds its own way after the long dominance of Western influence in architecture.

Here are a few examples of contemporary residential projects that are setting a new tone.

When you come to us for this service, you can choose a complete façade project that includes photorealistic renderings of the house, in-depth detailing, utilities, exterior lighting plans, a bill of finishes, and detailed instructions on how to do the work.

Or you can go with a low-budget, lighter version — the conceptual design. It's more of a concept study, but it still relies on accurate 3D modeling so the proportions hold up, and it includes a list of the main trim materials.