Façade 'Stedelijk’ museum Amsterdam

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Materialising an architect's dream of a seamless façade of more than 100 meters in length is not an easy task. An aluminium façade of this dimension would expand far too much and is not suitable for this aim. The custom-engineered new façade is produced from carbon and aramid fibres, that have been sponsored by Teijin. The added value of using this material, with ultra low thermal expansion, is the ability to maintain its form and strength despite the varying weather conditions. 

Customer:
Holland Composites Industrials, Teijin

Why are composites used here?

Lightweight

The specific weight of composites varies between 1.5 and 2.0 compared to 2.7 to 7.8 for aluminium and steel.

Freedom of geometry

Double curved shapes are easily produced in composite materials at almost no extra cost. For production of limited series the relatively low moulding costs are an additional benefit.

Limited thermal expansion

Thermal expansion of composite materials can be tuned. Depending on the fiber used it can vary between 0 and 30 where steel has an alpha of 12.

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