The popularity of aluminium is growing the STRONG CONTENDER

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1 32 1 STRONG CONTENDER LIGHTWEIGHT AND FLEXIBLE, ALUMINIUM FACADES AND STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS ARE PREFERRED FOR EXTERIORS AS WELL AS INTERIORS BY ARUNA RATHOD 1. Aluminium solutions from companies like Aluk are ideal for urban high-rises. The popularity of aluminium is growing the world over. The global aluminium market for the building and construction sector is poised to grow at a CAGR of 6% during the period with the main impetus from the architectural segment. Aluminium as a material provides the best value for money. The product life cycle is superior, hence it provides a viable option for the building industry. Besides routine cleaning for aesthetic reasons, neither bare nor painted aluminium requires any maintenance which translates into a major cost advantage over the lifetime of a product. Thanks to the non-corrosion material composition, no securing or value-maintaining measures are necessary. Aluminium is a lightweight material which is recyclable while designing a building s façade. Aluminium façades tend to be more aesthetic and, further, the thermally (weather and sound) and have tremendous stability. These are easier to upkeep/maintain as well, says Rajeev Antony, managing director, Schüco India. The inherent properties of aluminium ensure that it is the material of the future with great strength-to-weight ratio, and is non- turally very rigid. He adds, It is the material of choice for the design freedom it provides to architects while designing their buildings. Thanks to the metal s inherent strength, aluminium win- -

2 ,4&5. The versatility of Aluk aluminium products made possible these contemporary designs. 3. Subhendu Ganguly, MD, Aluk Building Systems. ing solar gains for given outer dimensions. In addition, the material s lightweight feature makes it cheaper and easier to transport and handle on site, while also reducing the risk of work-related injury. Subhendu Ganguly, managing director, Aluk Building Systems Private Limited, observes that aluminium is one of the most preferred materials for architectural applications in the building industry. It is innovative and it can be adapted to various shapes during the extrusion process. The incredible high strength-to-weight ratio of aluminium makes it possible to design light structures with exceptionally stability. The use of aluminium provides architects tions, while minimising expenditure on foundations, explains Ganguly. Aluminium building products are made from alloys that are weatherproof, corrosion-resistant and immune to the over a very long lifetime resulting in product life cycle superior to even the life cycle of the building itself. Gaurav Tiwari, manager - Business Development, Al Fara a Infraa Projects, says, Initially, India as a country believed that MS is the best structural material available to mankind till 5 we had glass buildings in late 1980s. From the year 2000, aluminium became a preferred choice because of its various metallurgical properties. WHY ALUMINIUM such as anodised or coated, ensures that the high aesthetic

3 Schüco FWS 35 PD (Panorama Design façade) is a slim façade system with a face width of 35mm. 7. Rajeev Antony, MD, Schüco India. aluminium allows Schüco façade solutions to adapt to any design. 9. Schüco s TropTec is an solution. 8-3 ) - -

4 Manufacturers believe that there is a need for design, performance testing, fabrication and installation of aluminium products. 11. In rolled products, cladding applications. LATEST IN THE MARKET The latest innovative product offering from Schüco is the Panorama transparency and straight-lined design. The manual operating of Façade seminar in Bengaluru. Practically all forms of aluminium that are available as downstream products are used in the construction industry. Aluminium extrusions, mainly in the form of doors, windows, curtain wall, structural glazing, sunshades, louvers and balustrades are the most common application. Then in rolled products, aluminium finds a wide range of roofing and cladding applications. Aluminium cast components are widely used as accessories and fittings for various applications like door and window handles, corner connections, catches for windows, etc. Air-conditioners and air-conditioning ducts use aluminium foil as heat-insulating material. Even aluminium furniture made of mainly extrusions and castings are also a popular choice in building interiors. However, Ganguly adds that while technology related to aluminium is continuously evolving, there is no obsolescence. But in the Indian context, he feels that there should be more focus on the finished products. He explains, For example, the urgent need of a standard that specifies the design, performance testing, fabrication and installation of aluminium products. Similarly, powder coating is another area where, although some good facilities exist, in general there is scope to update the technology and testing facilities. 11 INDIA SHINING Top consumers of aluminium in the building and construction industry are China, Japan, USA and Germany they form the majority when it comes to global consumption. Antony observes that India still has quite some catching up to do in terms of per capita aluminium usage and also, in particular, total consumption by end usage for the building aluminium consumption, owing primarily to demographic and market conditions. However, if we look only at YoY points out Antony. ally unlimited design potential. It can be shaped, welded, screwed and cut into dynamic 3-D shapes. Ganguly says, With more and more appealing architecture, aluminium is a natural choice in most of the constructions particularly INSTALLATION To ensure that the result is the same everywhere, the fabrication and installation techniques are standardised with some scope to customise but only if the project demands. Antony explains, Since fabrication and installation is one of the key areas in the case of aluminium, Schüco provides in-depth training sessions to its fabricator partners at its dedicated training centre in Bengaluru which is fully equipped to handle theoretical and practical sessions. Schüco engineers based out of Bengaluru and Mumbai train fabricators and certify them. Since we only work with our signed and trained fabricator partners, there is a thor- -

5 &13. The high value of aluminium scrap is a key incentive and major economic impetus for recycling. 13 plied and are being fabricated, there are multiple visits by Schüco engineers to ensure that everything is going as planned and the fabrication and installation quality is top notch. Multiple on-site interventions or site visits by our engineers is a routine whenever any project is on-going and as per client requests. GREEN FEATURES OF ALUMINIUM The aluminium industry has taken a leadership role by establishing a uniform, quantitative, global approach to energy and greenhouse gas emissions reduction. The industry years and the results of performance against 13 sustain- focused on energy and in-house gas emissions reduction in the industry s production processes. Schüco stresses upon providing high performance and meeting the promises by delivering environmentally responsible products, which are designed as per the geographic location and the climate in order to successfully tion, daylight penetration and energy optimisation. In the Indian context, the most important function of the façade consists of weather tightness (against dust, rain, urban atmosphere such as smog and noise) and solar protection thus reducing energy costs, states Antony. Aluminium is a plentiful material and can be recycled over and over again without loss of its properties. The high value of aluminium scrap is a key incentive and major economic impetus for recycling. Aluminium recycling ben- economy and the environment; while others are recycled at a cost to the community. Ganguly adds, Today, approximately 75% of all the aluminium ever produced is still in productive use, having been through countless loops of its lifecycle. Ensuring that the material loop is closed is an essential element in the sustainability of architectural aluminium. The value of aluminium, a function of the material s unique properties and the energy required to produce primary metal, means that 95% of aluminium in buildings is collected and recycled at the end of its useful life. A&I