Architectural Aluminum image courtesy of Profile Precision Extrusions.
There is a well-known skyscraper in south Chicago named the Monadnock Building which happens to be the tallest commercial load-bearing masonry building ever constructed, and at the time of its completion it was said to be the largest office building in the world. More relevant to this blog, though, the Monadnock’s decorative staircases are made of aluminum and were the first case in history to utilize this metal in building construction, mainly due the fact that aluminum was considered to be an exotic material at the time, due to its costly extraction process.
These days, aluminum has not only become more common is architecture industries, but is one of the go-to metal alloys for both structural and decorative elements in a building or home. In addition to aluminum being a good-lookin’ material, it is also highly resistant to corrosion, making it the ideal metal for both outside and inside areas of a building. Among the various kinds of aluminum, the 6063 aluminum is the preferred choice in the construction industries, due to its impressive weather resistant attributes. Additionally, architectural aluminum can stand the test of time and requires very low levels of maintenance. Though it is light, when alloyed with additional materials aluminum can offer very stable support.
In addition to fancy shmancy skyscrapers, architectural aluminum is also used in hospitals, schools, offices, homes, storefronts, as well as numerous other varying structures. It encompasses window frames and paneling, ceiling beams, curtain wall systems, railings, decorative trim, entrances, doors, shades and walkway covers. This is in addition to an array of more specific examples of architectural aluminum, such as, for an example, the sliding doors in an intensive care unit of a hospital.
Like I mentioned earlier, aluminum is too soft to stand alone, and so must be alloyed with further materials in order to be used in the construction and architecture industries. Such combinations give aluminum the necessary strength and hardness to support something as big as a skyscraper.
