KR Suresh explored how carefully chosen materials and construction principles can give buildings a lasting identity that ages without losing character.
Monolithic, monochromatic façades of extrusions or flat sheet tend to read as uniform and impersonal. Organic surfaces that reveal the true character of the underlying material offer relief from these drab urban surfaces and can become lasting points of identity for a building.
Cast metal and materials that accept change
Cast metals carry the marks of their making, and some finishes are designed to keep changing on the building. A platen-cast bronze façade in Manhattan had drawn people to touch it when the barriers came down, illustrating the power of a tactile surface. Corten is chosen precisely because it does not stay still. Some clients embrace the progressive oxidation even though it can stain adjacent surfaces; the appearance continues to evolve while remaining distinctive after many years.
For a YSL flagship, hand-crafted wooden panels were replaced with patterned cast white bronze that retained a fabric-like glint under changing light and gave the store a clear identity in its street.
Inspired patterns and crafted screens
Exploring and creating patterns can produce visual impact either at a glance or as a permanent impression. Precision-formed perforated aluminium was shown as one route to that effect.
Limestone matrix cladding with stainless-steel reveals catches light differently across the day and reads as a lantern at night. Open-joint rainscreen construction was preferred over sealed silicone joints because high-friction sealants stain and streak; water is drained rather than trapped. Attention to unique texture, open joints and materials that age honestly produces façades whose identity strengthens rather than fades with time.
