Before extolling the virtues of anodised aluminium let’s clarify the anodising process itself.
Anodising is an electrolytic process which has been established in the architectural sector for the past seventy years.
Aluminium naturally possesses an oxide film on its surface. This oxide film acts as a barrier to corrosion and is the one of the main reasons aluminium is considered a low maintenance and therefore cost effective metal.
During the anodising process, the natural oxide film present on the metal’s surface is thickened by an electrolytic treatment into a hard abrasion resistant finish.
Perforated aluminium in anodised finish
The thickened aluminium surface has a number of advantageous properties as compared with aluminium in its raw state. These significant advantages include the development of a silky smooth satin finish and a surface which is also more resistant to knocks and scratches and general wear and tear.
Pimlico Academy is a Visual and Performing Arts College based in Westminster, London. Pimlico benefitted from the £152million BSF (Building Schools for the Future) Programme (under Westminster Council) where they secured funds for a new sports hall that includes a new gym open to the wider public, an all weather floodlight pitch and a new community library and education centre.
The project aim was to significantly improve the sporting and education facilities at the school. Gooding Aluminium clad the sports auditorium walls with their lightweight, perforated aluminium wall panels, the ‘GA Ano-Sil Anodised finished panels‘ provided fantastic acoustics for the hall which is being enjoyed by over 1500 pupils.
GA Ano-Sil Anodised finished panels’
Project Details
Gooding Aluminium’s project role was to supply individually-punched, slotted hole, perforated aluminium panels and trays. Each item had a 25mm plain border in GA Ano-Sil Anodised finish.
The GA Ano-Sil anodised surface provides a durable long lasting effect that can be easily wiped clean to maintain its silky smooth appearance.
Pimlico Academy Auditorium
With the Academy due to open for the beginning of the new school year in early September, time was of the essence and Gooding Aluminium were able to provide a speedy production and finishing time of just 18 days for the 90 panels and trays, ensuring the auditorium opened on schedule.
Ano-Sil Anodised Finished Panels
Aluminium awareness information
Key Facts:
Aluminium is great for incorporating into weight sensitive applications, such as this one.
Environmentally friendly aluminium is the only recyclable material that more than pays for it’s own recycling costs!
Recycling aluminium into new forms only requires 5% of the energy that originally produced it.
All manufactured aluminium is effectively a stored energy bank for future generations.
Aluminium is only 1/3rd the weight of steel.
Aluminium’s surface has a self generating and repairing oxide coating which makes it corrosion resistant and therefore less expensive to maintain than steel and other corrodible metals.
To download the Pimlico Academy Auditorium case study, click on the link below:
A selection of Q & A’s with Andrew Turner of Architecture PLB
Q. What did you get out of your first contact with Gooding Aluminium?
A. Encouragement that GA could fulfil our design requirements.
Q. What made you choose GA over alternative suppliers?
A. GA’s reputation and costings.
Q. What do you think of GA’s willingness to adapt their product to suit special site requirements?
A. GA performed very well in accommodating a late change.
Q. What did you think of the turn around/delivery times?
A. Very good
Q. What did you think of the finish?
A. Consistently very good.
Q. When viewing the completed installation did the aluminium paneling meet your expectations?
A. It certainly did!
Gooding Aluminium are a national and international supplier of a wide range of high quality aluminium sheets, aluminium profiles and ‘made to order’ aluminium products with ‘invisible’ fixing solutions. For more information about bespoke or ready made aluminium products, visit our main site at www.goodingalum.com
