Gooding Aluminium recently celebrated 31 years as the high quality aluminium supplier ‘par excellence’ and recently received confirmation from Margot Christel Wanten of MCW Architecture that she has been specifying our bespoke and ready made aluminium products for as long as she can remember!
Margot Christel Wanten also recently emailed;
‘If only all companies I deal with in the architectural world were so helpful and efficient as yourselves, my professional life would be far more enjoyable!’‘
If you have aluminium project requirements and require samples, our FREE on-line samples service responds quickly and efficiently to your requests.
GA samples are supplied in attractive presentation sleeves and binders and are normally dispatched within 24 hours
For more information about bespoke or ready made aluminium products, visit our main site at www.goodingalum.com
Aluminium perforated ceiling trays at Scottish Ballet HQ help create an award-winning building
Gooding Aluminium’s perforated ceiling trays have been used to assist with acoustic control in the new head quarters building for Scottish Ballet. The new HQ has been awarded two prizes at the prestigious Scottish Design Awards: ‘Best Public Building’ and the ‘Architecture Grand Prix’.
Project: Scottish Ballet
Location: Tramway, Glasgow
Product: Aluminium Ceiling Trays, CP1
Finish: Ano-Sil Anodised
Specifier: Malcolm Fraser Architects
Seemingly floating en l’air the suspended perforated aluminium ceiling trays are filled with absorbent material to control and manage the acoustics within the technically demanding dance rehearsal studios.
Gooding Aluminium’s ceiling trays, effectively combining with florescent battens, produce a contemporary, elegant and simplistic solution to the overhead detailing in these exciting award-winning studio spaces.
Project Brief
The new headquarters building for Scottish Ballet replaces a derelict section of the Tramway arts centre on the Southside of Glasgow. The brief for the building comprised of three distinct areas – large technical workshops at ground floor, administration, wardrobe and music departments on the first floor, with three large rehearsal studios situated at the very top of the building. A large concrete stair connects Tramway’s existing foyer up to a new wood lined social space at the heart of Scottish Ballet’s building.
Scottish Ballet – Aluminium Ceiling Trays
Project Outcome
The external elevations of the building had a textured, pigmented concrete cladding panel applied at ground level, designed to deal with the robustness of the day-to-day life of the street. Above this, the remainder of the building has been clad in an aluminium profiled sheet which has varying profiles and colour (from dark grey to silver and gold), all intended to achieve a subtle layering that gives proportion and scale to the building.
The sustainable project has been delivered in partnership with Glasgow City Council, Scottish Enterprise Glasgow, the Scottish Government and the Scottish Arts Council (National Lottery Fund).
I’m often asked the question, ‘Which is the best method for joining aluminium?’
The answer is ‘It depends’. It’s not a question of which one is best but rather understanding the pros and cons of each process and relating this to the intended application.
On this occasion we will consider welding. Welding is one of three principal methods by which aluminium parts can be successfully joined together. Bonding (structural adhesives) and using various mechanical means (cleating, folding, nuts/bots, screws, rivets, etc.) are the alternatives.
Carrington House, London – Reception Desk Fascias
Welding is often rightly thought of as one of the strongest and most permanent joining methods. This heat intensive process involves fusing separate aluminium items together and then using a filler to form a joint. There are different techniques for welding aluminium (MIG & TIG). The material thickness of the parts to be welded will often determine the most suitable mode.
When considering welding, however, as a preferred joining method ‘casuality’ (cause and effect) should be borne in mind. The event of welding can change the localised form and appearance of the aluminium. For many applications these considerations are of little or no consequence, but where aesthetic considerations apply, care should be exercised. It is always good to know in advance what visual and other effects might manifest from a process.
One of aluminium’s primary advantages is it’s resistance to atmospheric corrosion.
This corrosion resistance is due to the oxide coating that naturally forms on aluminium’s surface.
The aluminium oxide coating has a much higher melting point (2037 C) than the aluminium base metal (648 C)and therefore needs to be removed before welding takes place. Oxide removal is usually achieved by means of using a wire brush or solvents and etching solutions immediately prior to the welding process.
For those in the know, great; but for those that don’t, the question surely arises – What is the connection between Charles Goodman and Aluminium Houses?
Alcoa House – Aluminium Houses
Charles Goodman was a Washington DC based architect who specialised in designing homes in the modernist style. Inspired by, amongest others, the Bauhaus work of Mies van de Rohe, Goodman was appointed in 1957 by Alcoa (The Aluminum Company of America) to design the ‘Care Free House’. This collaboration was set up to demonstrate aluminiums‘ suitability and versatility as both a decorative and structural material within residential environments. It was also intended to display how successfully aluminium integrates with traditional materials such as brick, glass, stone and wood.
