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A facade that never looks the same. Depending on the angle of the light and the time of day, its color and appearance change constantly. That was the vision of the architects at the International School Utrecht. And Asselux and Mutsaerts have jointly brought that vision to life. The unique Metallo Copper patterned facade comes to life! In bright sunlight, the facade sparkles, while on cloudy days, warmer shades of red come to the fore.
“The project began back then as a joint effort with SVP Architecture and Urban Planning and CROSS Architecture,” begins Edo Oude Rikmanspoel, co-owner of Asselux, a company specializing in ceramic facade elements. “From the very first phase, we worked with the design team on the color, texture, and appearance of the ceramic. By testing sample panels and mock-ups in natural light and even at height, we were able to continually refine how the facade behaves under various conditions. Only when the result was just right was a mock-up of a complete facade section built. That’s when facade installation specialist Mutsaerts joined the project.”
Ceramics play a central role here as a natural, color-fast, and durable facade material that retains its appearance under all weather conditions.
Mutsaerts developed the facade’s design and, above all, made it feasible to construct. That proved to be a challenging task. The facade features a seemingly random pattern, meaning that virtually no joint or element is directly above another. “That pattern leaves no room for construction tolerances. Precisely because of that, it was essential to make the entire substructure three-dimensionally adjustable. Any deviation in the shell would accumulate further along the facade,” explains Tom Luijten of Mutsaerts, a specialist in stone-like facade materials.
The backing structure consists of aluminum brackets with a T-profile to which the ceramic facade panel is bonded. “In addition to the adhesive bonding, a second support mechanism is integrated as standard in the form of a screw with a colored ring, subtly positioned at the joints,” explains Luijten. “This secondary fastening is part of the facade system and ensures that the facade panel remains securely fastened over the long term.”
Asselux delivers the custom-made ceramic facade cladding directly to the construction site. “The logistics require a well-thought-out approach,” says Oude Rikmanspoel. “That’s often underestimated. Although the patterned facade has a repetitive element, it nevertheless contains approximately two hundred different sizes. There were initially well over three hundred, but by critically examining the detailing as early as the engineering phase, we were able to work with the project team to significantly reduce the number of unique sizes.”
In February of this year, Mutsaerts began installing the Metallo Copper panel facade, covering 3,100 m². In addition, the company is installing over 1,295 m² of a terraced facade—with a sleeker design and lighter color—which is also supplied by Asselux, as is the fiber-cement ceiling cladding. Installation will continue through September of this year. The project demonstrates how an intensive preliminary phase—in which each party contributed its own expertise and collaborated closely from the start—ultimately leads to the best possible result: a facade that comes to life.
