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Door & Window frames: The unique extrudability of aluminum makes only the architect’s and designer’s imagination the limit in innovating profiles with interlocking features and affords infinite varieties. A choice of various shades of colour anodizing as well as clear anodizing is also available. Fascia panels & curtain walling: This application is yet to catch up in a big way in India but this is the chosen trend in all multi-rise buildings abroad. Here again the plethora of extruded profiling possibilities provide tremendous advantages. North light glazing frames: In industrial sheds, aluminium frames for north light glazing provides an easy and quick way of errection and a maintenance free installation. Partitions and space dividers: Aluminium structural frame work is ideally suitable for office interiors where high finishing quality is essential. Geodesic domes and space grids: A large number of such architectural marvels have been built with aluminium as the structural material primarily due to its lightness and weather ability. Green houses and roof top gardens: Yet another application where large quantities of aluminium extrusions find their way in quite a few colder climates.  Hardware and fittings: Almost 40% of the extruded architectural sections in India go into the making of hardware items such as door handles, tower, bolts, aldrop, curtain-rails, etc. While aluminium has made a sizeable in road in the builders hardware business, the scope is ever expanding. For exterior architectural work in domestic and commercial applications, the normally recommended anodic film thickness is 10-25 microns. The anodizing process also permits artificial colouring. The permutations available on colouring technology is so vast that it could be the subject of a separate paper. In fact, such a paper will be presented in the seminar. Economies of using Aluminium: Aluminium is commonly perceived as an expensive material particulary for applications in building and architecture. While it is definitely a fact that aluminium on first cost is an expensive material, the benefits arising out of its durability, virtual elimination of maintenance and lightness more than outweigh the higher initial cost. |