Green Products: Trends & Innovations

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At Herman Miller, designers at Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Integrated Architecture worked closely with the owner to deliver a zinc-clad facility "that lives up to Class A standards without the marble and other high-end finishes typical of Class A buildings," says Michael C. Corby, executive vice president and design principal. "We basically tried to redefine, to some degree, what are considered luxuries in the office building environment. We placed a high value on natural light. We placed a high value on healthy finishes. We achieved an energy performance level which is about 45- to 50-percent higher than ASHRAE 90.1, which is the minimum that LEED sets as a prerequisite. That is a fairly extreme target to shoot for," Corby says.


Linoleum's durability and easy maintenance makes it a smart choice for classrooms and day care centers.
Courtesy Tarkett.

"Zinc is malleable and flexible, and answers virtually every architectural demand," Schneider says.

"Its warm, gray coloring is natural and will not wear off, stain or discolor surrounding materials such as painted woodwork, light colored masonry, stucco, or brick.

"It is an excellent choice from both aesthetic and engineering perspectives, and is also a sound business decision. Because it is exceptionally durable and corrosion resistant, it offers life-spans that can be achieved with few other building materials. It is low-maintenance, and our production plants operate under quality management system certified according to ISO 9001.

A few precautions must be taken when working with zinc: it is important to remember you are dealing with a natural material and slight variations in color are common and expected.

In general, try to obtain a single batch of material since slight differences during production can alter the color slightly. If it is not possible to cover the entire building from one batch, make your installer aware of color variations so they may ensure that adjacent areas are taken from the same batch.

Even within a single batch there may be slight color differences. Installers should be aware that laying zinc is like laying hardwood floors.

Over time, color differential will be minimized by the continuous formation of a protective patina that causes a self-healing, "smoothing effect."

 

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Originally published in Architectural Record.
Originally published in February 2005

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