Corten steel is an atmospheric corrosion resistance steel, which is in between carbon steel and stainless steel with low alloy content. It is a type of steel that is manufactured with a chemical composition that oxidizes to prevent corrosion and gives a red and green colour to the building. The formation of iron oxide on the outer layer known as patina gives distinctive look to a building and make it one of the popular construction material of the 21st century.
Architects and design aficionados love this for its rough yet stylish look. The name Corten Steel comes from its reddish brown colour that develops due to prolonged exposure to weather and oxidation. The addition of weathering steel makes the building look unfinished and rustic, hence giving a unique characteristic to the overall structure.
Some Of The Renowned Construction Made Of Corten Steel Are
John Deere Headquarters, Illinois, USA
We couldn't list famous buildings made of corten steel without mentioning John Deere Headquarters, Illinois. It marked the first use of corten steel as a construction material. Founder William Hewitt wanted a distinctive building that reflected the company's employees.
The goal was to create a rugged design that was down-to-earth. Designed by architect Eero Saarinen for making the structure "down-to-earth". Corten is a material that forms a layer of iron oxide to protect from corrosion, which gives earthy colour, similar to a freshly plowed field. In addition to boosting employee morale, the beautiful garden helps the framers to connect with their workers both technically and artistically.
Barclays Center
Barclays Centre is a place to showcase the world's most exciting sports events and engineering feats built into Aecom Ellerbe Becket. This incredible structure is in the heart of Brooklyn and was inaugurated in 2012.
On the exterior, the stadium consists of articulated bands consisting of exactly 12,000 corten steel façade of A588. To produce a patina in the panels, the fabricator subjected CNC cut design to a stimulated weathering process which is done by misting water on the panels.
The addition of water mist resulted in the formation of a rich coating of rust that syncs with the borough's industrial heritage. The stadium has been described as "juiced, genial and aggressive all at once" by New York Magzine Reporter.
Nestle Social Block
Nestle's social block at the Granero factory has double skin as the exterior façade made of corten steel. The corten steel wraps the building giving an Avant-garde image. It is beneficial in creating contrast and breaking the monotony of the building.
The panels change their tonality with time, from orange orcher to brown. It contrasts well with concrete walls and a black metal roof. It breaks the monotony of the plane-suspended sheets and adds a symmetrically illuminated design that strengthens the building and its night images.
The Design Museum-Holon, Israel
While corten steel became a massive success in the early 20th century in the UK and the US, in later years it paved its way into world architecture. One of the renowned architecture that exudes elegance and style with corten steel is the Design Museum of Holon, Israel.
The design invites the traveller to get mesmerized by the curvaceous external outer wall. Layers of Corten Steel of varying degree of weathering is added onto the walls of the main gallery building. The ribbon design structure with varying shades of corten represented architect Ron Arad's first commercial project of this scale.
Leeds Broadcasting Tower
How can we end the compilation of famous architecture with corten steel without mentioning 23 storey Leeds broadcasting tower? It is known to be the heart of Leeds. Designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, the building won 2010, Best Tall Building Overall" award. The building is designed with reinforced corten steel, rain screen façade, and other weathering material, which makes it sustainable and artistically aesthetic.
Final thoughts
All the great Corten Steel buildings and architecture cannot be covered in just one blog. Be it a museum, stadium, resort, sky scrapper, or private house, it is impossible to deny corten steel looks stunning.
Viva is the first to introduce the corten steel series in India that gives robustness and structural support to a building. Choose corten steel from Viva's wide collection and install it to enhance the beauty of the façade.