ISSUES
- Challenging the norms of traditional flat-wall building design, architects Sulan Kolatan and Bill MacDonald (KOL/MAC) partnered with Corian® to go “Inside Out” to create a new kind of green curtain wall.
- The curvi-linear 18’ x 9’ INVERSAbrane wall prototype (seen at the SAFE: Design Takes on Risk exhibit at Museum of Modern Art) is a building membrane for the 21st century, creating a greater environmental connection between the interior and exterior of a building.
- The INVERSAbrane is a significant step in the integration of architecture and biotechnology because the holes – or building skin – incorporate water, air and solar collection, filtration and distribution systems.
CHALLENGES
- KOL/MAC chose Corian® solid surface, a pliable, yet structural material to build the vast, custom shape, which was based on the complex geometry of soap bubbles. Its intricate design demanded the fabrication team utilise inventive, sophisticated fabrication techniques.
- Corian® was heated to 300° Fahrenheit, making it malleable and flexible. It was then vacuum-formed to create the holes and panels by a skilled team of fabricators before being assembled into the completed wall surface.
SOLUTIONS
- “This curvi-linear, green curtain wall made of Corian® actively improves the ecology of the environment around the building and within it. We think of it as ‘uber-ecology’,” said MacDonald.
- Using advanced technologies and vacuum forming, the INVERSAbrane achieved more precise, tighter radii and smooth transitions and definitions – breakthroughs in exterior applications and fabrication.
- The technology applications pioneered by DuPont and KOL/MAC will result in more cost-effective projects for architects and designers.
BENEFITS
- The virtually seamless quality of Corian® enabled the design’s distinctive shape and smooth texture to become a reality.
- Corian® can be used as both an interior and exterior cladding material because of its durability, design flexibility and versatility.
