Dortmund Special High School (Dortmund, Germany):

Hachul H., Dr. Eng., Prof., Studying and Research Direction “Metal Architecture and Building”, E-mail: helmut.hachul@fh-dortmund.de

The use of stainless steel in building envelopes has a long tradition in architectural history. General information about stainless steel, its grades and properties is presented. The material properties, first of all high-strength durability and simultaneously splendid formability offer further chances for creating contemporary facades. Diffe rent examples of building facades and architectural compositions are observed. Cloud Gate in Chicago (2006) has the outer casing consisting of 168 stainless steel plates weighing about 100 t. The facade cladding of Lloyds in London: The metal construction has been engineered by Gartner. Facade cladding is manufactured of stainless steel, type 316S16, and embossedwith linen structure to avoid reflections. Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago’s Millenium Park (2004) has small-sized stainless steel clapboards form the free-form surface. The slight skin of stainless steel provides the outermost layer of a complex bearing structure. Porsche Museum in Stuttgart (2009) is a building like a spatial steel sculpture with a stainless steel shelf at the soffit. New economic manufacturing methods such as Hydroforming encourage new aesthetic cladding products and provide such architectural tendencies as relief and buckles. In addition to a multitude of new embossments or chromaticities, composite panels with stainless surfaces count among the most interesting product developments. Therefore the individualization of building envelopes is possible by average means and stainless steel remains state of the art.

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