Long and Lean with
A Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi

...it’s here that we can see and truly appreciate the woven metal fabrics in all their full-scale beauty.

GKD is happy to announce the debut of its American headquarters.

The building was designed by Dominique Perrault , architect of the world-renowned Bibliotheque Nationale de France in Paris working together with Baltimore, Maryland firm Ziger/Snead.

The taut, long, lean form of the headquarters building harkens back to the classic American industrial shed. However, that sometimes monotonous form is here given a certain je ne sais quoi through Perrault’s deft use of a variety of GKD metal fabrics in the inside as well as the outside of the building.

As might be expected, the new building, which hugs the flat eastern coast of the Chesapeake Bay, is a showcase for the company’s woven materials and it’s here that we can see and truly appreciate the woven metal fabrics in all of their full-scale beauty. The Chesapeake Bay setting is particularly fortuitous, as the light across the bay is constantly in flux, allowing the reflective surfaces of the building to change with the changing light. Depending upon the time of day, the weather, or even the season, the building always looks intriguingly different. GKD clad buildings are never static.

Pay us a visit and see for yourself.

Above: GKD’s New American Headquarters

Copyright & Legal Statement

Kudos

GKD is pleased to congratulate Lake/Flato Architects of San Antonio, Texas, winners of this year’s American Institute of Architects Firm of The Year Award.

As David Dillon has noted in “Architectural Record” “The firm is known for blending modernism, regionalism, and sustainability to create architecture that responds to the sun, the shade and the breezes, collaborating successfully among themselves in the process.”

One of the most significant aspects of Lake/Flato’s buildings is that they are compositions of tactile experiences, “The first impulse on entering their houses, schools and churches” writes Dillon, “is to run your hands across walls and doors.”

Not surprising then that Lake/Flato chose GKD’s highly textured Delphin for the balustrade on the flying staircase at the Harry Ransom Center in Austin, Texas. The architects also employed GKD’s stainless steel Lamelle, which they draped from the ceiling for visual texture.

Left: Harry Ransom Center

Copyright & Legal Statement