Everything’s Coming Up Copper

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A 37 storey tower clad in distinctive copper rings in Brisbane and Australia’s new embassy in Washington DC covered in a series of folded copper ‘rainscreen’ panels are the world’s latest architectural icons.

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The $600M high rise in Brisbane’s North Quarter—designed by Hassell, REX, and Richards and Spence—glitters on the city’s skyline given the skin of 2582 elliptical copper panels on the building’s facade.

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To be known as 205 North Quay, the 6 Green Star rated skyscraper sets new architectural benchmarks. Not only will it efficiently cut energy, waste and water usage, but the highly articulated fa?ade will also help to control the impact of midday, afternoon and early evening sun.

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But 205 North Quay is just the tip of the copper architectural trend. The 17th North American Copper in Architecture Awards have also just been announced, with 10 projects—5 new builds & 5 restorations—named this year, including the Australian embassy in Washington DC.?

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The embassy—designed by Bates Smart and KCCT with fabrication by Pohl and Enclos—uses copper fa?ade panels to create a "visually stunning" interplay of light and shadow that is meant to echo Australia’s unique landscape. The distribution of the panels changes from south to north and east to west, meaning the appearance of the building exterior changes depending on the perspective of the viewer.

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Other winners include:

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• Madrone Ridge, a sophisticated residence in Sonoma County, Calif., designed by Field Architecture, featuring three copper-clad pavilions that "exemplify system design through their functional and aesthetic choices”.
• The Ledger, in Bentonville, Ark., a mixed-use building designed by architects Michel Rojkind and Marlon Blackwell. Judges noted the innovative ramps that connect the building to the street, featuring copper panels fabricated and installed by Dissimilar Metal Design and Harness Roofing.
• CopperDrifts, a striking beach house near Provincetown, Mass., designed by Charles Rose Architects with copper flat-lock and standing-seam exterior panels by Airtech Copper that enhance its form and visually integrate with the landscape.

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See all winners: https://copper.org/applications/architecture/awards/winners.php

Cheers

John Fennell