Architectural metals’ performance can depend greatly on the location of a building, which is why understanding the substrate, environment and required service life are key. Tomasz Kluczewski at AkzoNobel Powder Coatings explains.
Architecture is designed to last, and that expectation applies not only to how a building functions, but to how it looks. When a facade, window system, balcony, canopy or other visible metal element deteriorates, the impact can extend beyond the surface, affecting the architect’s original design intent and potentially leading to additional maintenance or replacement.
This is why coating specifications deserve consideration beyond their colour and finish alone.
Among respondents surveyed in the sector, 35% identify the financial cost of product returns and lost business as the main impact of corrosion, while 24% point to the environmental cost of premature replacement. The message is clear – what goes onto an architectural component can influence how well it performs and retains its intended appearance over time.
Different buildings, different demands
There is no single definition of a durable architectural finish. A facade on an inland residential development will experience different conditions from a beachfront hotel or a building in an industrial environment.
Coastal locations can expose architectural metals to salt-laden air and chlorides, while industrial and urban environments bring different combinations of moisture, pollutants, and contaminants. The substrate and its pre-treatment also influence the level and type of protection required.
Aluminium, widely used for facades, windows and doors, has inherent corrosion resistance, but appropriate pretreatment, coating selection and application remain important, particularly in more demanding environments. Steel, used for applications including entry systems, fencing and other architectural elements, will typically require greater corrosion protection, potentially including suitable pretreatment, a protective primer, and topcoat.
This variability helps explain why, among the 9% of architectural manufacturers who say anti-corrosion solutions are difficult to source, 58% attribute that difficulty to their requirements varying too much. Rather than asking simply whether a finish is durable, architects and specifiers need to consider what it will be applied to, where it will be used and what performance is required throughout its service life.
Where powder coatings fit
Meeting these different requirements calls for a coating technology that can combine protection and durability with the colours and finishes needed to deliver the architectural vision. This is where powder coatings play an important role.
Powder coatings are already used by 49% of architectural manufacturers surveyed, and the research points to the combination of attributes behind their use. Some 76% of architectural respondents value the ability to use powder coatings with multiple primers and topcoats, allowing the coating system to be adapted to different substrates and exposure conditions.
Meanwhile, 72% say powder coatings provide a more durable finish, while 73% say they provide the range of colours and finishes they need. This combination is particularly relevant to architecture because protection does not have to come at the expense of creative choice.
The coating system can be selected around the performance needs of the project while still giving architects access to the colours, textures and effects required to realise their design.
Performance is more than the coating
Selecting the right coating system is only part of achieving the required performance. Surface preparation, pretreatment and application quality also influence how the finished component performs, while relevant industry standards and specifications provide benchmarks against which that performance can be assessed. These include specification requirements such as Qualicoat and AAMA 2603, 2604 and 2605.
Programs provide additional confidence that coatings are applied by specialists working to defined requirements. Together, the right coating system, quality of the substrate, appropriate preparation and controlled application help translate the performance specified for a project into the performance of the finished architectural component.
Making longevity count
Longer-lasting finishes have a critical value beyond their appearance alone. Helping a coated component achieve a longer service life can reduce premature maintenance, recoating or replacement, with corresponding implications for materials, resources and cost.
These wider considerations are increasingly important to the sector, with 29% of respondents identifying environmental impact as the most important future benefit they want from the right anti-corrosion solution.
Ultimately, protecting architectural design is about understanding what a building will ask of its materials and specifying accordingly. By considering substrate, environment, coating system, application quality and aesthetics together, architects and specifiers can help ensure that a building continues to look and perform as intended for longer.
Tomasz Kluczewski is regional commercial director for North Europe at AkzoNobel Powder Coatings