{"id":405,"date":"2023-08-17T12:15:53","date_gmt":"2023-08-17T12:15:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/smalldivine.com\/?p=405"},"modified":"2023-10-04T11:30:47","modified_gmt":"2023-10-04T11:30:47","slug":"designing-with-light-6-ways-architects-are-using-swisspearls-progressive-cladding-panels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/smalldivine.com\/index.php\/2023\/08\/17\/designing-with-light-6-ways-architects-are-using-swisspearls-progressive-cladding-panels\/","title":{"rendered":"Designing with Light: 6 Ways Architects Are Using Swisspearl\u2019s Progressive Cladding Panels"},"content":{"rendered":"

Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work through\u00a0Architizer<\/a>\u00a0and sign up for our\u00a0inspirational newsletters<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

We first understand architecture through it\u2019s fa\u00e7ade, the face that it presents to us. This first impression is deeply tied to the materials and building systems a structure is made of. As designers and architects collaborate with manufacturers and fabricators, they continuously reimagine what this \u201cfirst impression\u201d can be and how buildings perform. A global provider based in Switzerland, Swisspearl<\/a> is a manufacturer known for rethinking cladding and fa\u00e7ades. The company\u2019s guiding principle is to develop and produce forward-looking, functional and aesthetically convincing designs with architects, craftspeople and building material suppliers.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0headquarters of today\u2019s Swisspearl Group is located in Niederurnen, where one of the first production facilities for fiber cement was founded in 1903.\u00a0For many years, Swisspearl<\/a> has been developing products made of natural materials for use in building envelopes, interior design and landscapes. The company\u2019s products from their workshops in Niederurnen and Payerne have shaped Swiss building culture and, over time, have been used in projects worldwide. Swisspearl<\/a> became well-known for cement composite panels (formerly called fiber cement panels or fiber-reinforced cementitious panels) offered in a wide color range. The following projects highlight their panels and product innovations used in architecture worldwide.<\/p>\n

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Denver Botanic Gardens Science Pyramid<\/a><\/h3>\n

By EUA<\/a>, Denver, CO, United States<\/h4>\n

\"\"\"\" This iconic Science Pyramid was inspired by nature. The team wanted the fa\u00e7ade of the building to mimic the hexagonal structure of a honeycomb. The pyramid\u2019s two peaks and 16 facets twist and turn towards the sky as if it was a result of the earth\u2019s colliding tectonic plates. Located in the center of the gardens, the pyramid\u2019s proportions are a inverse of the adjacent amphitheater, made to create harmony between the building and the surrounding landscape.<\/p>\n

Faced with the task of designing a transparent pyramid, as specified in the competition brief, the architects of the winning competition entry drew their inspiration from the geological processes causing the ragged rock formations of the nearby mountain ridges. The envelope of the structure informed by a biological metaphor and features almost 500 dark gray, hexagonal Swisspearl panels interspersed with thirty photo-voltaic collectors and multiple windows and skylights.<\/p>\n

\n

US Land Port of Entry, Warroad MN<\/a><\/h3>\n

By Snow Kreilich Architects<\/a>, Warroad, MN, United States<\/h4>\n

Snow Kreilich<\/a> designed the Warroad Land Port of Entry to support the mission-driven demands of US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The 40,108 square foot facility was conceived as a specific response to the vast open landscape along the Minnesota-Canadian border. In turn, its form reiterates the dominant horizon of the landscape while making reference to the East-West border. \u00a0Inflected building forms facilitate intuitive use by visitors, the officer\u2019s ability to survey the entire site, and vehicle access to secondary inspections.<\/p>\n

Swisspearl was used along the building fa\u00e7ade, along with cedar planks stained black. Surfaces that face inward, in contrast, are an auburn-colored cedar. The Warroad Land Port of Entry sets a new standard for remote, small ports in achieving the highest design standard for public buildings. While embracing CBP\u2019s operational procedures and inevitably changing technologies, the design advances the dual mission to protect national security while facilitating trade and travel in a comfortable, efficient facility.<\/p>\n

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Davis-Harrington Welcome Center<\/a><\/h3>\n

By Dake Wells Architecture<\/a>, Springfield, MO, United States<\/h4>\n

Dake Wells designed the Davis-Harrington Welcome Center as a new \u201cfront door\u201d welcoming visitors to Missouri State University\u2019s campus. The 13,000 square foot facility includes a two-story lobby and 100 seat presentation room to provide a multi-purpose venue for special events. Tasked by the University with providing a \u201csignature piece of architecture\u201d, the design solution was made to be both economical and monumental. The building program is arranged in a two-story scheme, placing administrative functions on an upper level in order to increase the building\u2019s visual presence as it reinforces the campus edge.<\/p>\n

The building enclosure combines a variety of materials in response to the surrounding campus context. The architects used a seemingly paper-thin layer of white Swisspearl panels to sheathe the fully glazed upper sections of the east and west fa\u00e7ades. As the team explains, the latter extends slightly beyond the pointed corner of the building where the lower part folds slightly away to extend a welcoming gesture to visitors. Inspired by the pattern of a composition booklet, a seemingly random arrangement of circular perforations feeds dappled light into the atrium and allows views from the second-floor walkway.<\/p>\n

\n

Myriad Botanical Gardens<\/a><\/h3>\n

By Gensler<\/a>, Oklahoma City, OK, United States<\/h4>\n

\"\" \"\"The design team wanted to transform Oklahoma City\u2019s Myriad Botanical Gardens from an underused park to a vibrant center of activity for residents and visitors. By adding a new restaurant, open-air pavilion, bandshell and addition to the existing conservatory as well as redesigning the landscape, the design team set out to give the park new appeal. The buildings are linked through consistent geometry derived from the pure Euclidian form of the original botanical conservatory. The compositional elements that form the architectural language include single-story geometric forms, white cementitious panels, water-clear glass and extended overhangs.<\/p>\n

Each structure has its own unique character informed by its distinct program. Swisspearl was used as siding for the project throughout. The restaurant is a perfect square, where cantilevered overhangs extend 18 feet on the west side to provide shade from the harsh summer sun. Twelve foot curved glass panels form the circular dining area. While the bandshell is a complex 3D sculptural and monumental form. Since the park\u2019s grand re-opening, the new Myriad Botanical Gardens has added vitality to downtown Oklahoma City attracting visitors each year.<\/p>\n

\n

Kindergarten Cerkvenjak<\/a><\/h3>\n

By Superform<\/a>, Municipality of Cerkvenjak, Slovenia<\/h4>\n

\"\" \"\" \"\" Desigend as a kindergarten is in the village of Cerkvenjak, this project is located in the center of the Slovenske Gorice region of Slovenia. The kindergarten was designed to be inseparably connected with the natural surroundings of the trees and playground equipment. The concept of the kindergarten is similar to its local surroundings with the rhythmic string of volumes and roofs. Because of this concept, the kindergarten does not surpass the scale of an individual house and gives the user \u2014 a child \u2014 a sense of home.<\/p>\n

The architects drew the inspiration for this kindergarten from a nearby learning path running through the Slovenian village of Cerkvenjak. Intended to enrich the children\u2018s spatial experience, the hallway inside varies in width and each playroom unit boasts a unique, irregular and contorted shape. The design of the Swisspearl envelope support this idea. The kindergarten is a new program and function that upgrades the existing learning path. The result of using the principle of a learning path is a unique division and rhythm of the playrooms, where the kindergarten is closer to the scale of a child.<\/p>\n

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The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts<\/a><\/h3>\n

By SPF:architects<\/a>, Denver, CO, United States<\/h4>\n

SPF:architects took on the revitalization of the dormant Beverly Hills post office site to create a new performing arts center. Built on the historic site, the new project includes a 500-seat theater building connected via promenade and outdoor sculpture garden. The historic WPA building built in 1934 is repurposed to house a 120-seat studio theater, a caf\u00e9, gift shop, box offices, administration facilities and a 3-classroom theater school for children. Outside, a garden and courtyard connect the historic with the new building with direct visual connection to the shops and restaurants of downtown Beverly Hills.<\/p>\n

Celebrating the history of the site, the skin is formed in copper-colored concrete panels. A 4 foot by 9 foot envelope-shaped panel is repeated across the fa\u00e7ade. The result is an abstract textural pattern, engraved into the building skin. Made out of Swis\u00ads\u00adpearl cement boards, the team redesigned the fa\u00e7ade to alter the size and mod\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion of the \u200bgaps between pan\u00adels, result\u00ading in 30% sav\u00adings in mate\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal. The plan preserves and celebrates the historic architecture, as well as affords the Center the opportunity to create a new, state-of-the-art, flexible performing arts facility with ample back-of-house amenities.<\/p>\n

Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work through\u00a0Architizer<\/a>\u00a0and sign up for our\u00a0inspirational newsletters<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post Designing with Light: 6 Ways Architects Are Using Swisspearl\u2019s Progressive Cladding Panels<\/a> appeared first on Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work through\u00a0Architizer\u00a0and sign up for our\u00a0inspirational newsletters. We first understand architecture through it\u2019s fa\u00e7ade, the face … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":407,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/smalldivine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/405"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/smalldivine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/smalldivine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/smalldivine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/smalldivine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=405"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/smalldivine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/405\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":424,"href":"http:\/\/smalldivine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/405\/revisions\/424"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/smalldivine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/smalldivine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/smalldivine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/smalldivine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}