Outer Limits

SLEEK AND DURABLE MATERIALS ENHANCE NOT ONLY THE LIFE OF BUILDING FACADES BUT ALSO THEIR AESTHETICS

Referencing traditional building materials, Rieder has introduced Bricky (shown) and Timber to its Öko Skin portfolio of fibrec facade slats. Made from fibreglass-reinforced concrete, the designs offer the look of brick and wood respectively, but with higher durability and lower maintenance requirements than their conventional counterparts. Through-coloured with iron oxide and natural additives, both palettes’ full ranges are available in three textures; sizes include a standard 1,800-by-147-by-13-millimetre slat as well as “flex” sizes with 110to 302-millimetre widths and 700- to 2,500-millimetre lengths. They can be installed horizontally or vertically and be customized with illumination, cut-out detailing, relief-like surfaces and more. rieder.cc

A robust collection of porcelain stoneware for both exterior and interior use, Italgraniti’s Mega series includes patterns that mimic the look of sand, steel or stone. In four sizes ranging from 120 by 120 to 160 by 320 centimetres, the largeformat slabs require minimal joints for near-seamless installation. At six millimetres thick, the versatile stoneware is highly flexible as well as frost-, chemical- and stain-resistant. Shown is Flax, one of six earthy tones from the Sands Experience series. italgranitigroup.com

To create a rhythmic three-dimensional facade for a mixed-use building that needed to stand out among Frankfurt’s more common flat-panelled structures, German architect Hadi Teherani turned to Neolith’s sintered stone cladding. Completed in late 2018, the building incorporates a high-end hotel, private apartments and commercial space, each expressing its own personality while collectively presenting a cohesive appearance. Choosing Neolith’s classic Arctic White Silk for a clean, understated aesthetic, Teherani specified a ventilated facade system using a series of prefabricated six-millimetre-thick panels roughly 310 by 1,150 centimetres, with alternating angles, cutouts and extended overhangs for shading. Aptly named Flare of Frankfurt, the building uses approximately 6,000 square metres of the durable and lightweight material. neolith.com