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#10_November 2021

PIMP UP YOUR FACADE: CHOOSE GALVANISED STEEL WWW.ZEKERZINK.COM

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FOREWORD PIMP UP YOUR FACADE: CHOOSE GALVANISED STEEL! INTERVIEW WITH PER JOHANSON ZEKER ZINK MANIFESTO

COLOPHON

Foreword

Dear reader, Zinkinfo Benelux will soon be organising a webinar around the topic of hot-dip galvanised steel facades. As a result of our biennial Benelux Trophy for Hot-Dip Galvanisation, we are seeing ever more original uses of galvanised steel as a facade element. Aside from the durable maintenance-free protection and resistance to mechanical loads which zinc provides, this development also has a great deal to do with the industrial look of zinc. Not just facade claddings, such as the gratings, perforated plate or expanded metal one instantly recognises, can be made of galvanised steel, but the underlying constructions that couple facades to buildings, as well. The unique patterns typically get much appreciation from clients and architects. They gradually change, because after treatment and atmospheric conditions galvanised steel forms an attractive patina layer that, because of its structure, also contributes to longevity. This issue of the magazine is devoted to a number of inspiring examples of the use of galvanised steel from Scandinavia. The architectural firm, JOLIARK, has for years been a fan of hot-dip galvanisation, and their projects form an important source of inspiration. Should you wish to register for the webinar, you’ll find the registration form at www.zinkinfobenelux.com. Much reading pleasure! Bruno Dursin

Translation of quote: Nothing provides greater security than natural protection

Zeker Zink in conversa Per Johanson of J

ation with Joliark (Stockholm)

Could you introduce yourself? I started my studio, Joliark, a long time ago: in 1972. I was young and had just won an international urban design competition in Finland. The name Joliark is based on the first two letters of my name and the first two letters of the name of my partner, who recently retired. Eighteen people work in our studio, fifteen architects and three structural engineers. That is an excellent size for an architectural practice. I don’t want to expand, as I’m afraid it would reduce the quality of our architecture. We’re still one closely knit group – we know each other very well. Most of our projects are for facade cladding, office buildings and industrial buildings. An additional speciality of ours is designing laboratories for the healthcare industry. Photo: Åke Eriksson Lindman

P ER J OHANSON STUDIO JOLIARK

For a given project, be it a residential structure or an industrial one, what is your guide in choosing materials for the facade? That is a very important question. It is crucial, as the facade needs to enclose the building for years to come, like the skin of an organism. The skin tells us a great deal about what is inside. And it also carries on a conversation with its surroundings. So it’s really important. We discuss the materials and constructions from the very beginning of a project, but take all of the definitive decisions later. The motives for choosing a material are quite diverse. One reason is that – if we’re talking about galvanised steel – it’s a material with a an extremely attractive surface, in my opinion. Another reason is that a very nice pattern can be created on the facades by combining facades with varying panel dimensions and employing extremely thin, narrow joints between the panels. And it is a material that requires very little maintenance: that in itself is a good reason. The result is a very thin facade cladding, which is important if the land is costly. The choice also depends on the surroundings and the character you want. The Gamlas Vänner, the first structures for which we used galvanised steel, are located beside a small group of apartments with gable roofs. They’re in a lovely old village where all of the facades are made of timber. The constant question in such a situation is whether or not to have the facade material conform to that of the surrounding existing buildings. In this case, I believe that it would have been wrong, or even somewhat pathetic, to use timber. It’s more honest to draw a clear distinction between old and new. In terms of scale and design, I think that galvanised steel was the right choice. Adjacent photos: Gamlas Vänner

While we’re on the subject of hot-dip galvanisation, you know that it’s also very important to communicate with the zincworks and the steel builder or building contractor who are going to realise the construction or facade. What are your expectations then, and how do you go about satisfying them? How does that work out for you? With the first project, we had a great deal of contact with the facade constructor, Three L Technologies, from Lithuania. They developed a.o. ECO CERTUS, a modular ventilated facade system we applied in our projects. Check their website if you want to know more. We learned a lot from them, but the facade was, in itself, not the biggest challenge. The problem is not the galvanised steel – it’s a good, fine and precise material. But the problems come if the finishing of the wall or construction behind is done sloppily so that it does not conform to the precision of the galvanised steel. Working with concrete or timber is not the same as working with galvanised steel. That’s where the problem lies. You need skilled personnel and attention to detail. The building contractor has to make sure that the construction personnel working on the underlying wall are trained better, as great precision is needed if the craftsmanship is to be commensurate with the qualities of the galvanised steel.

Did you get involved with the details of this connection between wall and facade? Did you tell them what they needed to do? Or did they have the right details and solutions? I think they had the right details from the start, but we nevertheless had to train the personnel who were constructing the underlying wall. Do they not understand the importance of millimetre tolerances? With this kind of material, it’s crucial to determine the ‘right connection’ between the galvanised steel facade cladding and the material behind it… And that is sometimes where the shoe pinches.

Notskriften, another project located on a former industrial site, features several existing industrial structures in brick. It was clear to us that we would also utilise brick for the residential units we were putting up. It’s a fantastic material, albeit with certain limitations. In Notskriften, access to the different apartments is via access bridges. Naturally, these couldn’t be built in brick. Galvanised steel was the perfect alternative. The facades of the houses were realised in brick, but the access bridges, columns, rails and connecting spaces between the bridges are made of galvanised steel. The cooler, industrial look of the steel provides a perfect contrast to the warmth of the more regular brick.

Photos on these pages: Notskriften

Photos on this and the preceding pages: Tappen

ZEKER ZINK MANIFESTO H O T- D I P G A LVA N I S AT I O N , YOUR INSURANCE POLICY

AGAINST CORROSION

1. HOT-DIP GALVANISATION THAT’S MORE THAN 150 YEARS OF STABILITY NOTHING PROVIDES MORE SECURITY THAN ‘NATURAL PROTECTION’. FOR MORE THAN 150 YEARS, THIS NATURAL MARRIAGE BETWEEN STEEL AND ZINC HAS PROVEN THAT THERE IS NO BETTER WAY TO BE INSURED AGAINST CORROSION. WE ENSURE DURABILITY AND STABILITY IN A RAPIDLY CHANGING WORLD. 2. WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET. NOTHING PROVIDES MORE SECURITY THAN ‘AN HONEST SYSTEM’. WITH HOT-DIP GALVANISATION, ONE SEES IMMEDIATELY WHETHER IT HAS BEEN DONE PROPERLY, THERE ARE NO HIDDEN DEFECTS. HONESTY LITERALLY LASTS THE LONGEST. 3. CLASS E / CLASS F & STANDARDISED DIALOGUE NOTHING PROVIDES MORE SECURITY THAN ‘FULFILLING EXPECTATIONS’. FOR THIS REASON, IT IS IMPERATIVE TO PROMOTE THE NECESSARY DIALOGUE BETWEEN PRESCRIBER, EXECUTER AND ZINCWORKS. AMONGST OTHER THINGS, CHOOSING BETWEEN CLASS E (AESTHETIC) AND CLASS F (FUNCTIONAL) STIMULATES THE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE PARTIES, ENSURING A OPTIMUM AGREEMENT BETWEEN EXPECTATIONS AND FINAL RESULTS. THIS PROVIDES SECURITY, RATHER THAN SURPRISES, LATER ON. 4. GUARANTEE NOTHING PROVIDES MORE SECURITY THAN ‘A THIRTY-YEAR GUARANTEE’. WHAT A RELIEF: NO MAINTENANCE, THIRTY YEARS LONG, AND THE SECURITY OF BEING ABLE TO RELY ON OUR GUARANTEE! SINCE THE FIRST OF JANUARY 2019, ALL HOT-DIP GALVANISATION WORKS AFFILIATED WITH ZINKINFO BENELUX HAVE PROVIDED A GUARANTEE OF UP TO THIRTY YEARS ON THEIR GALVANISATION WORK, DEPENDING ON THE PRODUCT AND ITS APPLICATION. 5. RICH TRADITION NOTHING PROVIDES MORE SECURITY THAN A ‘RICH TRADITION’. VIRTUALLY ALL HOT-DIP GALVANISATION WORKS IN THE BENELUX WERE ORIGINALLY BELGIAN OR DUTCH FAMILY-OWNED BUSINESSES. THEY KNOW THEIR CUSTOMERS AND KNOW THEIR NEEDS – AND HAVE DONE SO FOR MANY GENERATIONS. 6. IMPROVEMENT TRAJECTORY FOR LOGISTICS AND QUALITY CONTROL NOTHING PROVIDES MORE SECURITY THAN THE ‘WILLINGNESS TO IMPROVE CONTINUOUSLY’. ALL ZINKINFO AFFILIATES ARE CONTINUALLY ADJUSTING THEIR LOGISTICS AND QUALITY CONTROL IN ORDER BETTER TO ACCOMMODATE THE CHANGING WISHES AND REQUIREMENTS OF THEIR CUSTOMERS. 22

inkinfo Benelux is an organisation with a clear mission: to promote hot-dip galvanisation in general and within the Benelux in particular.

A personalised Explanation about Zeker Zink? Would you like to order the handbook with an answer to all your questions? WWW.ZEKERZINK.COM

Text by Bruno Dursin Photos by Studio Joliark and Åke Eriksson Lindman A digital publication of Zinkinfo Benelux. Nothing herein may be reproduced and/ or published in any manner whatsoever without prior consent from Zinkinfo Benelux. Zinkinfo Benelux, PB 3196, NL-4800 DD Breda,The Netherlands.Tel +31.76.531.77.44, info@zinkinfobenelux.com,www.zinkinfobenelux.com 23