Not just a pretty façade: there’s more to ArcelorMittal Construction’s vast range of Coatings and Colours than meets the eye
06.07.2021 - Magazines

Discover how we’re helping architects and specifiers push boundaries in architectural design, reduce carbon emissions and create high-performance buildings through our wide range of colours and cutting-edge coatings.

 

 

Adding colour to the world

In the French town of Bédarieux, nestled between the Orb River and the Espinouse mountain, stands a building that demands attention. The Jean-Claude Carrière cinema is a 3-screen complex with 402 seats; a café; conference room; and at its heart, an open glass-walled atrium.

As you approach, it’s not the cinema’s irregular, barcode-like cladding that first catches your eye. Nor is it the marble obelisks or the tall cypress trees which adorn the grounds, or its sparingly distributed vertical neon lights. No, for all its distinctive aesthetic features, it’s the colour which is most striking.

A range of natural autumnal shades - from strawberry red, to rust brown and orange - complements the surrounding trees and shrubs. These blocks are subtly broken up with a smattering of industrial grey panels.

It’s a fine example of how colour, used bravely yet considerately, can help to create pioneering, seminal architecture.

  

The Jean-Claude Carrière cinema – Architect: A+ Architects – Photograph: © Camille Gharbi

 

Limitless possibilities

The customised shades of red which feature predominantly on the Jean-Claude Carrière cinema are selected from more than 2,000 ArcelorMittal Construction Colorissime colours. When you combine this vast palette with an equally impressive range of coatings styles, the aesthetic possibilities number in the millions.

Stardust® adds a celestial gold or silver sparkle to your building; Irysa®, a natural iridescence; while Pearl, as the name suggests, brings a pearlescent lustre which shifts depending on the light and your angle of approach. 

ArcelorMittal Construction can help produce the precise finish you’re looking for, giving you the freedom to create structures in the exact colour and style you have in mind.

And with our revolutionary Muralys® steel printing process, the options are literally endless. Using molecular digital transfer, we can take any design, image or text and reproduce it on your building façade in stunning resolution.

Striped floral design produced with Muralys® digital steel printing Photograph  Architecte : STOFFEL LEFEBVRE © Takuji Shimmura

 

How it’s done

The key to ArcelorMittal Construction’s flexibility lies in our uniquely integrated supply chain. It allows us to work with our clients, starting with an idea and a purpose, to develop customised construction products that meet the needs of any project. Whatever the vision of the architect or specifier, we’ll help turn it into a reality. From the product form, to the colour and the coating, every finish can be tailor-made to suit you. And as the only manufacturer in Europe with the necessary facilities to control every aspect of the production process, it’s a level of service you won’t get anywhere else.

But it’s not just about aesthetics; having control of the entire supply chain has other benefits too.  Firstly, it allows us to be more responsive with quicker turnarounds and shorter lead times. Secondly, it results in better quality products and service.

A holistic knowledge of the entire construction manufacturing process helps us to better understand every element of the products that are specified in finished buildings and how these different elements (for example, the raw materials, paints and coatings) relate to one another and function together. Our customers don’t just come to us for the things that we make – they also come to us for our comprehensive expertise.  

Room 2030 – Architect: Sergio Baragano – Photograph: © Mariela Apollonio

 

Beyond what you see

Of course, organic coatings can be easy on the eye. Sparkle, texture or glistening sheen can all be achieved with the right approach. But coatings do so much more.

Our Tectova® polyurethane coating with its non-slip properties is ideal for safety on rooftops and beside swimming pools. Flontec® can be wiped clean of spray paint and marker pens to keep buildings graffiti-free without the need for hazardous chemicals. Our radiative coatings with TSR (Total Solar Reflectance) ratings of up to 83% reflect heat from the sun, significantly reducing the energy required for cooling. And Sinea®, with its distinctive grainy appearance, boasts incredible durability, colour resilience, and resistance to UV exposure and corrosion.

ArcelorMittal Construction supplies products for coastal structures, chemical plants, cold stores, nuclear facilities, agriculture and anything else you can imagine. Whatever the application, we’ll provide the solution that works best. And with warranties of up to 40-years on our coatings, you can be assured that your structure will stay looking as good as it did the day it was built.

ZMevolution® - functional, beautiful, sustainable 

Impressive though our range of coatings may be, there is no risk of ArcelorMittal Construction becoming complacent. Thanks to our integrated supply chain, we are able to constantly push boundaries through the products we develop and the methods we employ. ZMevolution® is a prime example. Designed especially for the construction field, this galvanized coating process uses a patented alloy blend for a corrosion resistance three times higher than standard galvanized steel. It is stronger, lighter, thinner and more malleable than comparative products and - with a consistent, even surface-quality - it looks beautiful too. But perhaps most significantly, ZMevolution® is better for the environment; the production process results in 46% less CO2 than typical galvanized steels, making it a far more sustainable option. Since its introduction, ArcelorMittal Construction have managed to mitigate carbon emissions totalling more than 90 million kg.  

A finger on the pulse

The parking facility at the AZ Sint Jan Hospital in Bruges goes to show that even highly functional buildings can be beautiful. Its Pearl (pearlescent) coating, combined with asymmetric waves on a perforated façade, catches the light in a new and spectacular way. The SLAB Center (a hub for R&D in Avilés, Spain) is unapologetically bold, with jet black blocks offset by bright red detail. And just southwest of here, at the Niemeyer Center, is Room 2030: a prototype hotel room assembled in just 4 hours which showcases a resplendent Hairexcel® Gold finish. Each of these buildings is unique, radical and unforgettable. 

 

Parking, AZ Sint Jan Hospital – Architect: VK Architects & Engineers – Photograph: © ArcelorMittal Construction

 

Our extraordinary range of colours and coatings provides total freedom of aesthetic style and helps deliver exemplary building performance. Safe, strong, sustainable - ArcelorMittal Construction can provide products that meet any design challenge. We have the agility to keep pace with market trends and develop new solutions which leverage the latest technology. Because of this, we help architects and specifiers lead the way in exploratory architectural design.

 

To find out more about our colours and coatings, speak to one of our experts today.