l have always loved corten steel these are my 5 reasons.
1 - Rich colour
2 - Fine texture
3 - Patina changes over time
4 - Despite the fact that it rusts this is what makes it durable
5 - It look great with timber
However, Corten is one of those architectural materials that while most architects love it not all clients do.
The clients for my high performance build at Avonhead love corten. We therefore chose to use it for the soffit to the entry canopy.
This is the first time I have specified it for a project and I am looking forward to seeing it in place.
In the mean time the canopy ais being exposed to weather. Initially the rust was slow to developed so vinegar and then salt water were used to speed things up and the results so far look fantastic.
The fabricator took my two design options and made a couple of mock ups in aluminium. This allowed the clients to select the profile of the curved front edge they like best.
The canopy is not very heavy being 3mm plate but has been made in two pieces for ease of installation and to allow for invisible fixings.
Discussions are still ongoing about the need to apply a sealer to avoid staining of the timber decking below the canopy or to just let it continue to weather.
Thanks to John Buys and his team at WPC - Specialist Construction Solutions
for their design and manufacture.
I'm Graeme Jacobs a Christchurch based Architect.
If you are interested in a high performance build using interesting material come talk to me about your project.
