Aluminum and architecture: 3 key elements for sustainable design

Imagine having a lightweight yet strong, corrosion-resistant, non-toxic, and durable metal that can potentially be molded into any desired shape. In reality, it exists: you’re considering building with aluminum.

 

Aluminum and Architecture: A Century-Long History

The history of aluminum in the world of architecture is relatively recent. In fact, the finished material dates back to the late 19th century, but until the 1920s, it wasn’t widely used due to high production costs. From the 1930s onward, the use of aluminum in construction and architecture gradually established itself. However, for extensive use of aluminum in construction, we need to look at the mid-20th century. One of the first examples of aluminum used in architecture is the Empire State Building, one of the world’s Art Deco icons.
Inaugurated in 1931, the New York skyscraper is one of the first buildings where aluminum was used both as a structural element and as a decorative feature in the interior design. Originally, cast aluminum was used for the exterior railings, with a decorative pattern on the surface. The construction of the balustrades required three hundred tons of aluminum. Much more recently, in the 1990s, aluminum was used to replace all the building’s window frames, which had been damaged by time and weather. Aluminum is also widely used within the Empire State Building, as decoration, on the walls, and on the ceiling of the Grand Lobby.

But let’s take a step back to 1923. That year marked the discovery of oxidation, a process that can drastically increase aluminum’s resistance to corrosion and also prevent color change. Oxidation allowed the exterior windows and doors of the New York skyscraper to last more than sixty years. It’s easy to affirm that the Empire State Building is one of the best examples of corrosion-resistant anodized aluminum.

Similarly, the offices of the Milan Montecatini buildings, designed by world-renowned architect Gio Ponti in the 1930s, are another example of corrosion-resistant anodized aluminum used for window frames, flush with the façade, and for finishes and furnishings. A look at the dome of the Church of San Gioacchino in the Prati district of Rome, on the other hand, shows that aluminum was already in use as an architectural element at the end of the 19th century, while the current color of the dome is a clear example of how an aluminum surface changes without anodizing.

Generally, starting from the 1930s, there were various experiments with architectural aluminum in the United States and also in Europe. Buckminster Fuller designed an experimental house entirely made of aluminum, the Dymaxion House. The project aimed to demonstrate the efficiency of aluminum in building structures that could be easily assembled and disassembled for more efficient and cost-effective logistics.

 

Lightweight and Strong for the Architecture of the Future, Thanks to Aluminum

Today, aluminum is even more performant and, therefore, even more widely used in both architecture and design. Its properties make it highly versatile and ideal for various types of projects. Lightness is undoubtedly one of the qualities that makes it most attractive: aluminum has a specific weight of about a third that of steel or copper. Not only that, aluminum is not subject to corrosion, thanks to a thin layer of oxidation that prevents it. Lastly, aluminum is highly malleable and ductile, making it easy to work with.
 

Using Aluminum in Architecture as a Key to Sustainable Design

In recent decades, attention to sustainability has been more alive than ever, and this is one of the reasons why aluminum is increasingly popular. Here are three key elements that make aluminum superior to other materials in sustainable design.
First, aluminum has a natural origin and is one of the most abundant resources on Earth. It primarily comes from bauxite, through a process that was once very energy-intensive. However, recent technological advancements have allowed for a significant reduction in energy consumption, reaching a carbon footprint of 4 kg of CO2 per kg of aluminum from over 8 kg a century ago.

One of aluminum’s most important features is its recyclability. Aluminum can be practically recycled infinitely, without loss of quality. This makes it even more sought after. Since it has been used in architecture and interior design for nearly a century, today, there is plenty of material available for recycling. Subsequently, architectural aluminum becomes one of the main resources for an abundance of primary material and a large amount of material suitable for recycling.

To summarize, the application of aluminum in the field of architecture, due to its qualities, grants architects infinite creative freedom, allowing for the creation of many structures while keeping sustainability in mind.