Promotion: architectural cladding brand Kriskadecor's aluminium cladding has been used for the facade of student residence the Anémone Project in Montpellier, where it was chosen for its versatility and functionality.
Designed by the Spanish architecture studio Archikubik for Kley, the Anémone Project is based in the city's Port Marianne Rive Gauche district and built to promote student wellness and act as a regenerative factor for the neighbourhood.
The building is clad in Kriskadecor's hanging aluminium chains that drape over the facade of the 11-storey structure, which allows for shading and specific detailing to match the identity and symbolism that connects the residence with the city's culture and its connection with the sea.
Archikubik chose a silver, satin silver, pearl gentian and pearl purple chain colour palette to present a representation of the ocean sparkling in the sun.
The thin chains provide shading for the building, as opposed to thick facade materials like full-pane metal cladding.
"The entire building is wrapped with a double skin of thin aluminium chains from Kriskadecor to avoid the use of more massive metal cladding and the carbon footprint produced during its construction," said Archikubik.
"This skin is inspired by the sun and insect protection curtains that were traditionally placed on the doors of Mediterranean houses."
In addition to the aesthetic and heat-mitigating properties, the aluminium chains also have the ability to reduce the noise from the busy Avenue de la Mer below and provide privacy from the outside while not reducing the views from within the residences.
46,000 linear metres of the chains were used to clad the building with its 251 rooms, spread over a rectilinear envelope with open-air stairwells.
The facade system is adaptable and for the Anémone Project, Kriskadecor used 19 different anchoring typologies to adjust to the floor plates of the building and to make room for gaps in the windows of the residence.
The lightness of the chains allows for large surfaces to become spaces where reproductions of designs and logos can be presented on an architectural scale, as part of the building, while standing up against sunlight and wind, as the system has been tested in winds up to 210 km/h.
"The system has been designed and tested to guarantee a safe and durable structure that adapts to the shape of any building," said Kriskadecor
The innovative system has been used for a variety of projects including the Can Manent school in Cardedeu and for a variety of different building types, such as the Archiproducts Milano Showroom 2022.
To view more about Kriskadecor's cladding, visit its website.
Images are by Marcela Grassi.
Partnership content
This article was written by Dezeen for Kriskadecor as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.