Material Study: Metal

The metal facade is composed of angled surfaces that catch and reflect the surrounding site and sky. These shifts in orientation give the building a changing appearance while maintaining a clear and simple volume.

The gymnasium is wrapped in lacquered aluminum scales that form a continuous metal surface across both façade and roof. The curved geometry softens the height of the main volume and produces a single, unified figure that shifts with light.

A continuous steel mesh wraps the entire structure, filtering the desert sun and giving the buildings their veiled, monolithic presence within the urban fabric. When opened, this mesh reveals the interior platforms used for traditional music performances.

A metal lacework facade in the project’s signature pleated effect, regulates transparency to the street. This lightweight screen maintains privacy while preserving outward views and giving the building a vertical identity. The veil transforms the otherwise simple stacked plan into a recognizable moment in the street.

The museum is wrapped in polished stainless-steel plates that reflect the surrounding urban fabric and shifting sunlight. This continuous metal surface forms a fluid, elongated volume where skylights cut and twist across the envelope to bring daylight into the exhibition halls. The building becomes a metallic landscape within the dense city.

A series of fluted aluminum-clad drums form the building’s exterior, each varying in height according to its interior function. The reflective metal surfaces and transparent base give the project its snow-crystal identity within the dense urban context.

The DDP’s exterior consists of a precisely engineered aluminum panel system that produces the building’s continuous, curving form. This metallic envelope connects the roof, walls, and landscape in a single gesture, integrating public spaces and historic elements into one spatial field. The result is a hybrid of architecture and terrain shaped by advanced digital fabrication.

Horizontal copper strips wrap the building, concealing the shift from a triangular base to a rectangular top and giving the volume a floating, ambiguous form. This continuous cladding hides its function as a technical signal facility, allowing it to appear instead as a sculptural object in the city.

The project introduces a new rear facade of recycled, CNC-cut aluminum panels. This lightweight metal skin allows for large openings, efficient construction, and future reuse. The contrast between the classic street facade and the technological rear facade is interesting. See more by the architects here.