What are the best construction materials and products on the market? Which are the most popular? Thanks to the activities of our readers, we’re beginning to find some answers to these questions. Combining the use of two ArchDaily tools, many of our readers have saved their favorite architectural materials and products—directly from our catalog—into their personalized My ArchDaily folders.
We have investigated the data from the first 6 months of 2017 to identify and share the most popular products from our catalog with you. What do these products have that make them so popular? Would you apply them on your next project?
Perforated Polymer Concrete Panels for Ventilated Facades
Panels core is manufactured by moulding by means of the mixture of silica, quartz and basalt aggregates with polyester resins. The polymer concrete panels are protected by a surface shield which affords extraordinary protection from UV rays and other atmospheric agents.
Perforated Facade Panel. Image Courtesy of ULMA Architectural Solutions
Metal Fabrics: Illumesh
Illumesh controls the span of illumination by the angling of the LEDs. They can be focused on a specific area, or blanket the entire façade. Creative lighting effects can be achieved using individually programmed lighting concepts. Compared to conventional illumination systems, Illumesh offers higher resolution imagery, weather and temperature resistance, and excels as an Internet-operated, high-performance media surface.
Metal Fabrics: Illumesh. Image Courtesy of ULMA Architectural Solutions
Aluminum Windows: Soleal
Soleal uses a 65mm or 55mm deep profile and it’s available in two distinctive casement styles for even greater design freedom: a ‘visible’ opening frame with an infill of up to 52mm for a contemporary finish, or a ‘minimalist’ opening frame with slim, subtle sight lines to reduce the visible aluminium and a glazing infill of up to 42mm.
Aluminum Windows: Soleal. Image Courtesy of Technal
Hydraulic Tiles
Suitable for floors and walls, and for internal and external uses. With a low maintenance and a high performance, the tiles are available in a 12″x12″ format.
Hydraulic Tiles. Image Courtesy of Apavisa
3D-shaped Fibre Cement Facade Material
This a material that plays with light and shadow, displaying a linear embossing modelled on the size and shape of a human finger. Every moment of the day, the changing angle of the daylight gives the material a different aspect. Every panel is unique, displaying the raw and untreated inner texture of the core fibre cement material.
Facade panel Linea. Image Courtesy of EQUITONE
Perforated Metal Panels for Facades
This material is able to create custom perforated patterns and shapes with a millimeter accurate CNC machine and other latest fabrication technology.
Façade Panels – Perforated Panels. Image Courtesy of MetalTech-USA
Outdoor Luminaires: FLUT Floodlights
This is a floodlight luminaire manufactured in aluminium injection lacquered in a texturised grey color or anthracite color, and serigraphed tempered glass. Thanks to its ball joint it allows swiveling of the light between 90º and -30º or viceversa.
Outdoor Luminaires – FLUT Floodlights. Image Courtesy of Lamp
Porcelain Tiles: MaxFine Iron & Trax Collections
Evocative colours and a broad range of formats and surfaces; a design for the most varied of contexts, whether residential settings, commercial areas or large architectural spaces.
Porcelain Tiles: MaxFine Iron Collection. Image Courtesy of FMG
Integrated Folding Doors
These built-in screens and shades control insects, sunlight and privacy and retract completely into the doorframe when not in use. The screens are available in two mesh types, controlling even the smallest insects, while the shades include Light-filtering and Blackout options.
Integrated Folding Doors. Image Courtesy of Centor
Interior Partition Systems: Woven Metal Mesh
This is a material that provides color and texture, reacts beautifully to light, and is flexible and formable. Simultaneously open and closed, panels perform myriad functions in virtually any application.
Fabricoil® Interior Partition Systems. Image Courtesy of Cascade Architectural
Perforated Facade Panels for Shading Screens
These perforated facade panels can be used as sliding shutters; its perforations give rise to a whole variety of lighting patterns, depending on the time of day and the angle of sunlight.
Shading Screens – Perforated Facade Panels. Image Courtesy of Bruag
Terracotta Sunscreen
The stainless steel mesh is woven with other materials creating unique screen walls. This screen wall can be ‘dressed’ in terracotta, glass, wood and many other materials.
Sunscreen – Fabrik®. Image Courtesy of Shildan
Exterior Glazing: ClearShade for Clerestories & Facades
This technology optimizes both daylighting and solar heat control, while most glazing solutions favor one of these goals at the expense of the other. The combined reduction of lighting and HVAC loads results in significant energy and cost savings.
Exterior Glazing – ClearShade for Clerestories & Facades. Image Courtesy of Panelite
Wooden Furniture for Gardens
Ideal for all kinds of exterior applications due to its looks, sustainability and durability. Accoya wood has been chosen for all kinds of projects and exterior furniture, from patio sets to urban equipment.
Accoya® for Garden Furniture. Image Courtesy of Accoya
Custom Made Doors
These uniquely designed formed-up doors have a solid internal subframe construction, which allows them to long outlast the 5-10 year lifespan of average high-traffic doors.
Custom Made Doors. Image Courtesy of Ellison Bronze