John Park-Davies, Group Marketing Director of Vertik-Al, explains the process and benefits of powder coating architectural aluminium and explores the myriad of colours and finishes available and how architects are using them to differentiate buildings, create drama and act as an alternative to high-impact glazing.

John Park-Davies, Group Marketing Director of Vertik-Al, explains the process and benefits of powder coating architectural aluminium and explores the myriad of colours and finishes available and how architects are using them to differentiate buildings, create drama and act as an alternative to high-impact glazing.

Creating a sense of light and space that is both comfortable and practical is one of the biggest challenges in the design of a building’s fenestration package, and the enduring popularity of highly-glazed facades has fuelled the demand for curtain walling systems to perform as well as they look. Andrew Cooper, National Specification Manager from leading aluminium fenestration solutions provider Senior Architectural Systems (SAS), discusses some of the key issues specifiers need to consider.

In March this year, Thomas Heatherwick, English Designer and Founder of London-based design practice Heatherwick Studio, unveiled the much-anticipated exclusive design of the Vessel. Located within Manhattan’s latest mixed-use development, Hudson Yards, the Vessel creates an eye-catching centrepiece for the $25bn site.

Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), SLA, AKT, Lüchinger+Meyer, MOE and Rambøll, CopenHill opens as a new breed of waste-to-energy plant topped with a ski slope, hiking trail and climbing wall, embodying the notion of hedonistic sustainability while aligning with Copenhagen’s goal of becoming the world’s first carbon-neutral city by 2025.