Projects

Take a look at the many projects that have benefited from stainless steel.

Our portfolio includes everything from the latest trends in everyday buildings to some of the world’s most aesthetically daring designs.

Marie Curie High School

The plan of Marie Curie high school in Versailles hooks a series of volumes alongside a line that crosses the site opening up to the dividing park.

The ground floor distinguishes itself like a singular stratum, thus unifying the exceptionally sensible scientific pole (a department for microbiological research, unique in France), on which each volume is positioned.

This project is a profound contrast between heavy and light, suspension of curved sections or treated concrete frames, hanging from walls of glass and stainless steel with bright finish Uginox Bright on 304-1.4301 grade.  

The “sun shade louvres” bring back unity by piercing and splashing bubbles of light onto the facades and the interior of the side elevation.

This architecture, simply marked by horizontal stratums, extends out into a well kept garden.

In a fluid movement, fed from both sides by connecting footbridges, the light and luminous transparency of the “sun shade louvres” irradiates. This circulates fluidity giving the school a lively and convivial hub with all the “CDI” (Documentation and Information Center) and teacher rooms at its core, opening up the flow of students in order to occupy the whole of the site.

Grand spaces filled with light; the audiovisual room, the CDI, the teachers rooms, the foyer and the specialized 120m² rooms open out into the adjacent park, let the high school become aware of a degree of maturity in its classes and its future perspectives opening up towards the campus.

To the south, the awkwardly shaped gymnasium incites the care of body and mind following that line drawn in the fauna.

Stainless steel hugs the curves and arches of the envelope showing that this material has arguably the highest mechanical properties compared to all metal materials . Stainless steel is easy to work giving a very successful design.

Technical Files

Versailles, France
Richard+Schoeller architectures
©RC

Info

304/1.4301
Uginox Top
0.50mm

Palace of Justice in Antwerp

The construction of the new Palace of Justice in Antwerp is the result of a policy of modernization of the judiciary institutionof the country. The legal services were particularly cramped in various buildings scattered across the city. In 1999, the Flemish Region decided to organise an international architectural competition for the construction of the new building.

 The contract was awarded to the Richard Rogers Partnership team in association with Ove Arup and VK Studio offices who proposed an efficient, subtle and transparent building with a powerful symbolic image. The building has a floor area of  78000m² and meets stringent sustainability requirements through its orientation and maximum use of natural lighting and ventilation. The building, located on the Place Bolivar square, punctuates the end of the main boulevards of Antwerp on one side and has on the other a large green space interspersed with slip roads connecting to the motorways. One of these roads passes under the front of the building and leads onto the boulevard opposite front, thereby freeing up space for pedestrians and public transport. The fully glazed hall known as “la salle des pas perdus” (hall of lost steps) not only links to 6 wings but also creates an urban link between the park and the square, as a prolongation of the boulevard. Each wing comprises six floors, one of which is underground. The first three levels above ground are occupied by offices. The fourth is a technical level and the final floor regroups the various hearing halls, covered in roofs that resemble boat sails.

These “sail” roofs are the architectural focal point of the project.An extensive design study was necessary to determine the type of materials and construction methods required for these roofs. For example, wind tunnel studies were needed to determine the loads incurred during extreme weather. Each of the 32 roof modules is formed from four prefabricated quarters, that are then assembled on-site with a system of bolts. The geometric shape traced by these quarters is a hyperbolic paraboloid. This method simplifies the structural assembly and the fabrication of the components. Glued and laminated timber beams disposed on a frame in line with the straight lines of the sails and are mounted onto a tubular steel frame. Then three layers of planks are successively screwed on to form the shell.

The final roof covering is achieved with strips of 316L stainless-steel with Uginox Mat coating. Several technical constraints have pushed the designers towards this type of material: Natural durability, particularly when a site is exposed to maritime influences, the possibility of using welding techniques, complex geometry with either little or no angles in some places and extreme slants in others, lack of access for maintenance and of course; the visual aspect and colour.

To obtain a perfectly water-tight installation, the stainless-steel sheets are welded in a continuous seam using an automatic machine, thus creating an almost monolithic surface.

Technical Files

Anvers, Belgium
Richard Rogers Partnership – VK Studio – Ove Arup & Partners

Info

316L/1.4404
Uginox Mat

The Recueil Estate

The Recueil estate at Villeneuve d’Ascq  regroups individual houses covered with tin-plated steel Uginox Patina. 

The Recueil estate at Villeneuve d’Ascq  regroups individual houses, from 3 to 5 bedrooms, ranging from 88 to 144 m², with garages and private gardens. These houses feature contemporary bioclimatic architecture and enjoy a privileged location near the metro railway and the major highways.

The materials used include wood-effect metal siding or Trespa panels, decorated with vertical windows, exterior joinery made from exotic wood types and roof-coverage from tin-plated steel. They contribute to making the “Recueil” estate an avant-garde and pioneering programme.

Thanks to wide openings, generously sized sliding glass-doors, the houses benefit from optimal brightness.

The choice of a metal roof-covering was a logical one based on the architectural design of the building.

Tin-plated steel was chosen:

  • It’s easy to work with
  • It has a low dilation coefficient which permits the use of 20m long bands without the risk of the sections deforming, thus maintaining a neat and stable architecture
  • The colour of its patina allows a perfect harmonisation with the colours of the rest of the building.

Technical Files

Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France
Gérad Zeller
©Gérard Zeller

Info

K41/1.4509
Uginox Patina
0.4mm

“Le Dôme” Amphiteatre

The «Bâtiment des Arts» has been built on the grounds of the Multidisciplinary University of Artois, in Arras.

An original urban construction programme whereby the overall building concept meshes with the existing surroundings, and gives rise to a complex with strong identity.
The building was built in the east campus, from the roundabout. Through its symbolic and prestigious character, the Bâtiment des Arts punctuates the entry to the university grounds.
The sphere, a symbolic form, provides the venue with a strong identity and visual presence. A single volumetric expression in which all the interior space is visible and clearly functional. This affords a canny and intriguing architectural space that is devoid of all aggressiveness. A veritable rotective «cocoon», the dome houses an amphitheatre. The simplicity of the spaces is dictated by a choice of typical regional construction materials. This is homogeneous to all the buildings of the university campus. The majority of the volumes is clad in brick-work while large bands of  glass seem to suspend the arched roofs over the classrooms.

The “sphere”, a unique external icon, disturbs this expression by its shape and brilliant stainless steel Uginox Bright covering in a shade of 304 (1.4301). This material makes the building appear as a living entity, reflecting the surroundings, changing colours and patterns over the days and seasons. It’s inner world breaks its image on campus and is expressed by a warm and welcoming wooden treatment. The building is near a major road, starting from the roundabout and leading to the centre of the university.

The entry to the campus is marked by a vast square, and via the visual transparency of its central hall displays and affirms its connection to the city behind it and shows a symbolic continuity.

Technical Files

Arras, France
Pierre Rousse
©Pierre Rousse

Info

304/1.4301
Uginox Bright
0.5mm

MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology

The MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology is one of the world’s leading research institutes. The scientists are working to advance understanding of biological processes at the molecular level providing the knowledge needed to solve key problems in human health. The £200m project forms part of the newly-expanded Cambridge Biomedical Campus at Addenbrooke’s Hospital Cambridge.

The stainless steel cladding to four services towers have created a dramatic feature for the new building. Uginox Top, a low reflective stainless steel surface was specified by the project architect.

Approximately 14,000m² of interlocking shingles clad the towers which house all heavy plant servicing the building. The towers are linked to the main laboratory building rather than attached to it in order to remove weight and sources of vibration.

Durable surface

A 0.7mm thick Uginox Top was chosen for its flat matt surface aesthetic and high corrosion resistance.  
Uginox Top has a fixed rolled on surface which requires only minimal maintenace.

The stainless steel advantages for this building:

  • A low thermal expansion coefficient
  • A high resistance to corrosion
  • A traditional work setting
  • A surface finish in harmony with contemporary architecture

Technical Files

Cambridge, United Kingdom
RMJM Architects

Info

316L/1.4404
Uginox Top
0.7mm

Want advice? Have a question?
Need help choosing the right stainless steel for your project?

Please call us at +1908 988 0625

Whether you are an architect, roofer, designer, construction company, prime contractor, or distributor, our team of experts can help you with your projects.

Want advice? Have a question?
Need help choosing the right stainless steel for your project?

Please call us at +1908 988 0625

Whether you are an architect, roofer, designer, construction company, prime contractor, or distributor, our team of experts can help you with your projects.

Need
inspiration? 

Take a look at the many projects that have benefited from stainless steel.

Our portfolio includes everything from the latest trends in everyday buildings to some of the world’s most aesthetically daring designs.

Need
inspiration? 

Take a look at the many projects that have benefited from stainless steel.

Our portfolio includes everything from the latest trends in everyday buildings to some of the world’s most aesthetically daring designs.

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