internationally renown for their excellence in the aluminum composite material (ACM) industry, alucobond continuously strives to deliver their product at the highest possible standards. feeling uniquely obligated to the architectural community as a whole and not just the ACM field, they take special care when designing, manufacturing and installing their material. this is often by reducing volumes to achieve quality over quantity, and to ensure that it only ever gets handled by qualified fabricators and installers. this detail and complete pride guarantees that whenever alucobond is being used for a project, you can rest assured that it will perform perfectly.
uppsala concert congress hall
main image: 580 george street HSBC building foyer. photography © mike chorley
one of the most important methods alucobond and 3A composites employ to accomplish this goal is by only selling the material through a ‘limited distribution chain’. this focuses on extensively-selected distributors and fabricators, who are key to the overall success of the product. their required standards include but are not limited to only fabricating panels within a controlled shop environment by sophisticated CNC machines, and having laboratory-tested attachment systems and the results upon request. for projects, architects can not only further improve the quality outcome by specifying ACM manufacturers, but by also listing qualified fabricating sub-contractors. these can easily and reliably be selected through the metal construction association’s ‘premium MCM fabricator’ program.
keystone office
photography © simon menges
failure to work with ACM correctly can lead to many issues, some of which are even more complex and severe than just un-aesthetically appealing architecture. this can include: fire performance and thermal problems, water infiltration, mold, or even the material falling off the building itself. a qualified distributor though will have the craftsmanship, the engineered attachment methods to accommodate forces of nature, and the knowledge of the ever changing building codes and how ACM fits within those. without all three of these requirements, problems could be a disaster for a specific project, as well as the entire ACM industry in general. this is why 3A composites go to such great lengths to ensure their ALUCOBOND products continuously excel, and is another reason why they have such pride in their products.
the connor group headquarters
photography © daniel lunghi
the connor group headquarters
photography © daniel lunghi
the painted rock estate winery tasting room
photography © carey tarr
example of poor fabrication
example of poor fabrication
source:https://www.designboom.com/architecture/alucobond-aluminum-composite
