Gulf Construction Online - Alcoa panels cater to architects’ tastes

Glass & Aluminium

Scheidecker ... Reynobond offers a number of advantages.

Alcoa panels cater to architects’ tastes

01 October 2005

French manufacturer of aluminium products – Alcoa Architectural Products – has recently added one more specialised product to its extensive lineup which, according to the company, has given that much more flexibility to architects and designers alike.

The new product – Reynobond XXL – has already been applied on some of the leading projects in Europe, including the new Airbus B22 administration building in Toulouse France.
Divulging details on the product as well as its varied applications in challenging projects, the new marketing and sales director of Alcoa Architectural Products in Merxheim/France, Guy Scheidecker says: “The 2,000-mm-wide Reynobond XXL compound panel has been developed keeping in mind the distinct requirements of our clients, who are active in the various markets. With this new product, we have tried to comply more closely with the requirements of the architects and we are the world's only supplier for compound panels as wide as this.
Listing out the advantages he continues: “For one thing, there is the design aspect. With a 2-m-wide panel, you simply have fewer joints. Secondly, utilisation of the material is optimised. There is far less offcut, thereby reducing the processing and assembly costs per sq m. Thirdly, Reynobond XXL can be ideally combined with other 2,000-mm-wide façade materials such as glass, for instance.
“Principally, the panels can be finished in any colour in high-performance lacquer, for which we give a 20-year guarantee. At present, we supply six standard colours from stock: Pure White 910, Champagne 950, Silver 431, Silver 4808S, Smoke Silver 907, and Grey Metallic 980. This apart, Reynobond XXL is also available in a flame-resistant version.
Being composed of two stove-enamelled aluminium sheets and a polyethylene core, Reynobond is a compound panel that is extremely stiff and light – compared with materials of the same stiffness. It weighs 70 per cent less than steel, and 40 per cent less than pure aluminium, claims Scheidecker.
“What's more, Reynobond has an extremely flat surface. In addition, the material is highly corrosion-resistant, has a very low coefficient of expansion, is easy to process, and exhibits outstanding mechanical properties such as increased impact strength,” he adds.
Commenting on the surface of the panels he says: “Our products are lacquered with Duragloss 5000 as standard – a coating developed by us, which is a convincing alternative to PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride). It is a novel, high-tech lacquer based on polymer resin with inorganic pigments that combines an attractive appearance with unusually high longevity.
“Furthermore, the available matt, satin, and high-gloss ratings exhibit a far higher lustre than PVDF-based colours. Also, special surface imitations such as Antique Copper, Quartz Zinc, Stone, and Mica are no problem with Duragloss 5000. In addition, these advantages are supplemented by the fact that special coatings such as anti-graffiti, anti-bacteria, anti-scratch, and easy-clean ensure an extremely high surface resistance of the material.”

Additional innovations
Apart from Reynobond, the company is planning to introduce “quite a number” of innovations. “Take Reynobond Natural Metals, for example, which we presented to the trade public a few months ago. This innovative product involves composite panels with alternative materials such as zinc, copper, brushed aluminium, or stainless steel. They permit curves, angles, and other design elements that cannot be implemented with heavier panels – and they also open up exciting possibilities for new aesthetic accents,” says Scheidecker.
“Alcoa, our parent company, is already the world’s No. 1 in the aluminium business. With Reynobond we are already No. 2 on the European market, and want to expand and become the leader. Naturally, our company philosophy – ’Meet customer’s requirements… React quickly with flexibility… Work with passion’ – will help us.
“We do everything to satisfy our customers. This is the personal commitment of every employee.”
Alcoa Architectural Products in France, is a subsidiary of the aluminium world leader Alcoa.

Airbus B22 building
Elaborating on the new B22 administration building in Toulouse, Scheidecker says: Having won the project, Parisian architectural firm Chaix and Morel was asked to give the building a charm that would embody the perfection of the new Airbus A380.
“The solution suggested by Chaix and Morel involved a building complex comprising four individual buildings of different heights connected by a covered atrium replete with greenery. The modernity and harmony with the surrounding environment was expressed in the choice of materials – glass and Reynobond – bestowing the building with a distinct elegance/
M Krauss, the architect at Chaix and Morel responsible for the implementation, explains why Reynobond was the natural choice for the façade, which has a surface area of 10,000 sq m: “We had two requirements in our specifications which could only be fulfilled by Reynobond. Firstly, the material had to reflect the properties of an aeroplane to perfection: metal, reliability and – of utmost importance – it had to be possible to rivet it. Secondly, Reynobond complied perfectly with our requirements of simple material processing, since it is the only composite board that comes in the standard measurement of 6 m in length and 2 m in width.
Virginie Leicht, manager of company communications at Alcoa Architectural Products, adds: “With the development of Reynobond XXL, we have once again confirmed that we take our customers’ needs seriously. The composite board with a width of 2 m has numerous advantages, ranging from assembly to aesthetics.”
“We went for Reynobond due to its technical properties, yet this was not the only decisive factor: working with Alcoa means that we can rely 100 per cent on absolute faithfulness to deadlines and a first-class service. This is of particular importance to us, since works by Chaix and Morel are the epitome of quality at a global level,” Krauss concludes.