16.07.08
Stainless steel finishes for contemporary station design and functionality
As a world leader in specialist metal finishing, Rimex Metals have always been involved in diverse interior and exterior architectural applications. In recent years, however, they have been heavily involved in the development, production and promotion of finishes that fulfil the specific and problematic demands of contemporary look, combined with long term performance required for modern station design and refurbishment.
The increasing specification of an ever widening range of products to meet these demands underlines the success Rimex have had in achieving that balance.
Design and durability
The use of Rimex Textured 6WL in a smooth bright finish at Knightsbridge Station was a good example of the merger of design and practicality. The smooth BA finish meant dirt retention was kept to a minimum to greatly assist in keeping the product looking its best, whilst the texture offered design coupled with greatly enhanced resistance to impact damage and visible abrasion.
The success at Knightsbridge was underlined at Wembley Park Station, the closest underground station to the new Wembley Stadium. The use of another textured pattern, 5WL, throughout the concourse levels and down the stairwells to the platform areas, again gave a clean, contemporary but functional finish that will more than cope with the periodically very high volume of passengers using the station.
Increasing the design element
The evolution of the design input was taken a step further in the specification of some façade cladding at the very busy Finsbury Park Station through the additional use of a chemical colouring process. The INCO colouring process acts to thicken the naturally existing chromium oxide film that naturally exists on stainless steel. This leads to a light interference effect and the impression of colour. Crucially, therefore, as the colour is not a paint or dye, it cannot crack or flake on fabrication, lift over time or fade in UV light. It therefore works in harmony with the performance of stainless steel and again the desired effect was achieved in a very demanding environment.
Increasing options for specifiers
In the last couple of years, Rimex have also dedicated themselves to filling a niche gap in the pallet of stainless steel finishes available to architects and specifiers - a non reflective, non directional finish. The Granex range of blasted finishes offer excellent finish consistency across a batch of stainless steel coupled with excellent flatness, historically absent in blasted metal finishes. This was underlined through the selection of Granex finish C1B for the Shepherds Bush Station at the White City development. The unique 2 sided process enables the production of these products in thickness well below those traditionally demanded and can be as low as 0.6mm.
Rimex continue to push back the boundaries in stainless finishing, to increase the options available to architects whilst very much sticking to task in terms of the performance required of the product in a mass transit environment.
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