400 Dexter

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Surface

Copper, Aluminum Composite Material (ACM)

System

System A

Architect

Collins Woerman

Location

Seattle, Washington

Development

The 400 Dexter project was completed in 2017 for Alexandria Real Estate Equities. Designed by the Seattle office of CollinsWoerman, the building facade features both aluminum composite material from Alucobond and a unique pre-patinated copper. The panel systems were fabricated by KPS and installed by Krueger Sheet Metal.

Surface

In July of 2015, the design team and owner group travelled to our North Vancouver facility to review panel system and finish options. We visited existing copper projects to examine material flatness and the patina that develops from weathering. After several meetings and thorough review of available copper finish options, the owner and design team selected KPS System A Pressure Equalized Rainscreen and copper sheet supplied by the AZahner Corp. with a custom ‘Dirty Penny’ pre-patinated finish. AZahner was able to provide provide four separate Dirty Penny finishes, each with a distinct tone from light to dark. This allowed the Architect to achieve their original vision for the project – to create the appearance of random variation from panel to panel. The custom copper finishes included hues of blue, purple and red.

Fabrication

Following selection of the system and face sheet material and keeping with the colour allocation, a mock up was completed to allow the Architect and Owner to approve the finished product prior to installation.

Completion

Combined with the Alucobond ‘Oyster’ in KPS System A, the various Dirty Penny copper finishes have created a unique architectural expression. The copper patina will continue to develop, evolving towards a unique turquoise blue copper over the service life of the building.