Architectural solutions specialist Aliva UK, has brought bespoke to another level with its company’s terracotta ‘trompe-l'œil’ on an Ivy League university in the States.
Aliva’s rainscreen cladding system has all the look and feel of terracotta but is actually a customised, profiled aluminium system that’s pushing the envelope of architectural facade innovation, one that truly ‘deceives the eye’.
It’s a material solution that has brought less physical weight to the elevations involved alongside greater cost efficiency for this flagship project at the Harvard Enterprise Research Campus, Massachusetts.
Reinterpret original facade design concept
The facade was originally designed using glazed terracotta, with large elements and a dynamic composition. However, the surge in energy costs, especially gas prices, which soared in 2022, made the originally selected material unsustainable for the investor.
The client, Tishman Speyer chose not to revise the design concept, but instead to reinterpret it. At this point, Aliva was brought in to redesign the envelope of two residential buildings in the campus in collaboration with Dutch architecture firm MVRDV.
The solution lay in Aliva’s Alu.covering® system, an A-rated facade made of extruded aluminium alloy, one that is 100% recyclable and composed of up to 80% recycled material.
The customised Alu.covering® system was a lighter weight solution for the height of the two elevations and more cost effective for the project’s supply, installation and build programmes.
Luscious greens fit for an Ivy League University
Two custom colour finishes were created with a three layer coating process that evoke the luscious tones of an Ivy League University: a dark green glaze for the mid rise building and light green glazed tone for the high rise building.
Both were achieved through a coating cycle consisting of a primer, a semi-transparent coloured glaze, and a transparent protective finish.
Fluted profiles created with custom engineering
This project included a complete rethink of the facade system. The aluminium slats were designed with a vertical, concave and convex layout to recreate the original sense of movement envisaged from terracotta.
Aliva developed 16 dies to produce a series of fluted profiles, each with specific dimensions. Once the system was validated, production was completed in 6 months, with a total of 22,500 cladding modules created.
James Ormerod, Aliva UK’s MD, said: “This facade innovation preserved the project’s original identity through a tailor-made solution that integrated aesthetics, sustainability and performance. Our A-rated, BBA certified Onda Lunga Alu.covering® in two luscious greens create a sense of flow, rhythm and unique identity for these two signature elevations.”
