SHINY LIKE A NEW PENNY: ACHIEVING COPPER-COLORED CLADDING THAT WON'T PATINA

The first high-rise building to feature copper-colored anodized metal wall panels that will not patina opened in October. Parkview West Condominiums, located in Chicago's Streeterville neighborhood near Lake Michigan, stands 47 stories tall, spans approximately 450,000 sq ft, and is attracting a great deal of attention. To achieve a shiny, metallic, enduring look for the building?s exterior, Linetec (Wausau, WI) finished Dri-Design's metal wall panel system using a propriety anodize process that mimics the metallic quality of copper, while providing high-performance durability.

Linetec's copper anodize finish utilizes true copper that is embedded in the aluminum after the anodize process and prior to being sealed. According to the company, the anodize process in unique in that it involves using actual copper to color the aluminum while isolating the copper in the coating, providing for a consistent and repeatable process that makes the copper color very stable and consistent compared to other copper anodize finishes. The rich copper color that is observed is actually copper that will not patina and will remain stable to provide many years of service. In addition to longevity and low-maintenance, the finish helped to alleviate concerns from the designers regarding copper salt run-off stains on the building?s exterior, galvanic deterioration or patina, which could have occurred had the tower been clad in actual copper as originally designed. Further addressing environmental considerations, the company's copper anodize has no volatile organic compounds (no-VOCs) and was tested to meet all AAMA 611 Class 1 specifications and weathering tests.

The company is among the first in the industry to bring this new technology and chemistry to the market. This technology was developed in the mid 1990s, and the material has been on a south Florida test fence for over eight years with no significant change to color or gloss.

In addition, the copper anodized aluminum, according to Linetec, does not require a clear coat or ongoing treatment to maintain color, and can be designed adjacent to other aluminum materials without galvanic corrosion. It is available in extrusion and flat sheet form up to 24? in length. Its color consistency is within 5 delta E?s (numbers that represent the distance/differences between colors) ? which is the same as traditional anodize. Material can be copper anodized before or after assembly.

The owner of Parkview West Condominiums, MCL Companies, and the architect, Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB), both have received multiple calls of interest in the building's eye-catching wall panel system, due to its metallic finish. To give Parkview West even greater architectural depth and texture, SCB specified the copper anodize in a controlled degree of color ranges. The finished panels were installed by Tuschall Engineering Company, Inc. to appear random in their reflective characteristics.

"They got it exactly right," said Devon Patterson, a principal with SCB. He describes the resulting look for the premier property as "a sculptural tower" and adds, "The building's unique style artistic in expression was meant to interact with the River East Art Center."

For more information on Linetec and its copper anodize finishes, please e-mail [email protected], call 888-717-1472, or visit the company's Web site at www.linetec.com.