If you work in the building industry you may have noticed the recent increase in the use of natural metal finishes on external facades. There could be many reasons for this rise in popularity such as: that fact that metal finishes magnify rather than diminish the appearance of the exterior of any building, or that the technology around coated metal surfaces has advanced significantly over the last few years with the development of novel and durable coatings.
What also makes metal finishes appealing is that they are relatively chemically inert and resistant to degradation by common environmental substances. Although many of the finishes have been around for thousands of years, modern technology can now be applied to increase their durability and they also have the added benefit of being fairly easy to install and thus speeding up the construction process.
Or, it could be a combination of any of the reasons outlined above. And, talking of combinations, when we used two metal finishes together on the $60 million facelift of The Strand in Coolangatta (Natural Copper and Anodised Mirror), the result was a stunning façade that put the shopping precinct back on the map (see our project news on The Strand Coolangatta).
And if you don’t believe in coincidences, then it looks like metal is also a popular choice for renovation projects as we used it not only on The Strand, but also on the $20 million overhaul of the Carrara Gardens Golf Course on the Gold Coast which we featured in one of our earlier blogs this year.
It is fair to say that there are a lot of positives to using metal finishes on new and existing projects and another option to keep in mind is that you can choose from natural as well as imitation metal finishes and both offer a wide colour choice that are sure to compliment any development.