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The great Roman writer Vitruvius, in his “Ten Books on Architecture,” outlined how structures (architecture) should exhibit the three qualities of firmitas, utilitas and venustas, or, firmness, commodity and delight. To a large degree, these guiding principals have focused the efforts of architects and builders in the intervening 2,000 years. Also to a large degree-because there are other factors that exert pressure on projects in the process of their becoming whole as well- owner’s requirements, economics and, amazingly, a will to create permanence, have shaped designs and final buildings.
In each requirement noted above, few materials fulfill the needs and goals set forth for projects in the way metal is able to as a building product. And yet, designers seem either to take the use of metal for granted, or overlook it, in the process of producing architecture. Firmness and commodity are easy to understand as requirements that can be fulfilled by metal construction; the standard structural system in the United States is composed of, if not completely at least partially, metal components, and the use of metal systems often allows for programmatic needs and requirements
(the commodity of the project) to be met with minimal, or at least a very efficient amount of, effort.
Where metal begins to really separate itself from other building materials is in the areas of delight,
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economics, and permanence. It’s easy to conjure images of Frank Gehry’s buildings, such as the Symphony Hall in Los Angeles with its flowing volumes clad in titanium panels, or possibly Williams and Tsien’s American Craft Museum in New York, with its façade constructed of cast white bronze. Herzog De Meuron’s perforated copper clad De Young Museum in San Francisco, as well as their railroad switching tower in Basel, Switzerland, clad in copper in order to act as a Faraday Cage also come to mind. In all these structures, the metal system reinforces the conceptual idea of the building, while adding a significant dose of delight, in the process of acting as a basic building material used to clad a structure. Gehry’s shapes conjure the flow of a symphonic piece, William’s and Tsien’s façade reinforces the idea of craft, and Herzog De Meuron’s perforated copper screen on their museum mirrors the pastoral setting of Golden Gate Park, while their Faraday Cage actually performs the scientific duty of warding off unwanted radio interference.
Economically, architects are continually charged with designing projects that are inexpensive to construct. Less frequently, owners and developers consider downstream costs in their initial pro forma; if future costs were to be taken into account, it would quickly become apparent that metal, as an exterior material, vastly outdistances other options. Metal’s durability, low upkeep requirements, and static appearance (for the most part), allow it to be installed once and generally left alone. In a world where economics plays a larger role in the production of architecture, part of the process of selecting materials and educating clients on choices involves looking at the total life cycle cost of a project.
And, finally, as architects, we strive to construct buildings of permanence. While the stones quarried from the Apennine Mountains above Rome were available to Vitruvius and his fellow countrymen, architects today must look elsewhere. Metal provides exactly that option and end result.
In our office, we have used metal as an architectural material on many projects for many different reasons. At Craft Restaurant in Los Angeles, a project we worked on in conjunction with Bentel and Bentel, the use of bronze was, in part, a literal manifestation of the idea of “craft.” For the dormitory at the California College of the Arts, the use of natural zinc on the elliptical volume was an attempt to shape a “modern” form within an historic campus. At Temple Sinai in Oakland, the use of a green stained zinc exterior material was an attempt to evoke a contextual copper-like condition in order to allow the newly imposed modern sanctuary to relate to the historic sanctuary it butts up against. And for the residence in Healdsburg, the use of metal exterior materials on all surfaces of the house was the architect’s attempt to meet the client’s request for a “zero-maintenance” home.
Metal as a building material holds immense opportunities beyond purely that of utility. It’s broad spectrum of texture, color, ability to be shaped and manipulated, and properties of strength and durability make it a perfect choice in fulfilling the needs and design aspirations of the architectural profession.
Mark Horton, FAIA, has run his own office in San Francisco for 25 years. The office portfolio is extremely broad, ranging from museums to houses of worship to athletic facilities to single-family homes. Horton co-founded 2AES, as well as 3A architecture gallery.