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Stainless steel
Stainless steel is the common name for all steel
grades that contain at least 10.5% chromium.
Chromium improves the corrosion resistance of
stainless steels. In addition to iron and chromium,
stainless steels contain other alloying metals, of
which the most important ones are nickel and
molybdenum. The combination of chromium and
oxygen leads to the formation of a chromium-rich
passive layer on the surface of the steel. This
layer protects the steel, and reforms over time, if
damaged.
Development
The first stainless steel grades were developed in
the 1910s. Thus, the first austenitic and martensitic stainless steels were developed just before
the First World War. The industrial manufacture of
stainless steel started in the 1920s.
Most of the standard stainless steel alloys in use
today were developed between 1913 and 1935 in
Britain, Germany, the United States and France.
With the introduction of standard alloys, it was
possible to concentrate on more economical production methods and on promoting the use of
stainless steel.
The extremely strong and corrosion-resistant molybdenum alloyed stainless steel grades were first
developed in the 1970s.
Long-term durability
Provided stainless steel structures are carefully designed and the steel is correctly selected, treated
and maintained, the theoretical service life of
stainless steel structures is hundreds of years. A
rough estimate of the successful design and durability of the structure can be made after just a few
years. A good rule of thumb is that, if there are no
rust stains during the first years, the probability of
corrosion later is low.
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Environmental properties
The environmental impact of the manufacture and
use of materials and products can be measured
by the amounts of, e.g. various emissions and
their environmental impact, as well as by energy
demand. The values and the decision-making process of consumers and business partners today are
based not only on the traditional values, but also
on environmental impact. An environmentally
friendly product is valued highly in selection situations. Legislation in recent years has also emphasised environmental values more than before.
Stainless steel is mainly manufactured from recycled stainless and carbon steel. The utilisation
of recycled raw material reduces the energy demand of the manufacturing process, as well as
the amount of waste and emissions.
Scrap metal
Cr
Ni
(Mo)
Arne Jacobsen,
SAS Hotel,
Copenhagen,
1956-61.
Stainless steel
has been used in
the shell construction to a
limited extent.
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Ludwig-Erhard-Haus, Berlin
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Stock
Exchange Building, designed in 1994-1998 as the
communication and service centre of the commercial and industrial circles of Berlin, is located in the
western centre of the town, the Charlottenburg
area.
The building was designed by architect Nicholas
Grimshaw on the basis of the winning entry in an
invitational competition. The basic idea of the
design was a low-rise solution that would support
the townscape, and a suspended structure of the
central building mass. The building combines the
traditional modern architecture of the office section with the strongly structural organic expression
and the requirements of ecology.
The stainless steel used in the external shell of
the building and in the cast cladding of the steel
arches at ground level gives the building yet another dimension.
The design work was based on adapting the requirements of new technology and the diverse operations as well as the eye-catching architecture to the
existing old environment. The load-bearing structure of the building comprises 15 steel arches, from
which the top nine floors are suspended. This has
maximised the free space. The elliptical steel arches
were prefabricated at a factory. The street faade is a
separate, light structure supported on steel arches.
This makes the central mass of the building resemble a suspension bridge structure.
The building is equipped with natural ventilation.
The atriums serve as regulators of ventilation in the
workspaces. The solar control system incorporated
in the faades reduces the need for artificial lighting.
Ludwig-Erhard-Haus,
Berlin, 1998, architect
Nicholas Grimshaw.
The external cladding consists exclusively of matte
surface stainless steel.
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Sony Center,
faade mainly of
stainless steel and
glass.
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Public building
The use of stainless steel in the structures and
buildings of public transport services started in
the 1960s and 1970s. The long service life and
ease of maintenance make stainless steel an ideal
material in structures that serve large crowds of
people, such as railway and metro stations, bus
stops, ship terminals, and airports, etc.
Helsinki Metro
The planning of Helsinki Metro started towards the
end of the 1960s, and metro traffic began in 1982.
The Helsinki City Metro Office was established for
the planning and construction of the metro system,
and teams of various architectural and engineering
offices were responsible for the design of the stations. The design work also covered the design of
so-called continuous structures, such as the signs
and fixtures as well as the metro trains, all of which
were repeated in similar design throughout the
metro system. The selection of molybdenum (Mo)
containing stainless steel for, e.g. the stations
external doors, lifts, column shields, fixtures and
signs was based on issues related to maintenance
and the corrosive urban atmosphere.
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Ruoholahti
metro station,
Architects
Kontio - Kilpi Valjento - Oy.
Station hall.
Herttoniemi
metro station,
Kaupunkisuunnit-Oy, architects Jaakko
Ylinen, Jarmo
Maunula.
Station plattform.
Rautatientori
metro station,
total design Oy
City Consult Ab,
Architects
Bjrkstam - Heino
- Kostiainen Ky.
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Site plan.
Western elevation.
Eastern elevation.
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Section.
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Site plan.
Space solution
The facilities reserved for offices and product development can be altered. The room division can be
based on combi-offices or individual offices, or a
landscape office. The working and service facilities
wind round two large atriums. The ground floor
contains common service facilities: a restaurant, a
cafeteria, conference and meeting rooms, an auditorium, exhibition space, as well as a gym, dressing rooms and washrooms, etc.
Section.
Main entrance,
the stainless steel
faade reflects
daylight.
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Steel structures
In addition to their functional purpose, the visible
steel structures influence the architectural appearance of the building considerably. The double faade, the first one in Finland, is supported on a frame structure that consists of (grade EN 1.4401)
stainless steel profiles. The frame structure itself is
fixed to the concrete faade and suspended from
the canopy structures on the roof of the building.
The aluminium maintenance grilles on each floor
are also supported by the frame structure. The additional glass surface and the auxiliary structures
of the double faade reduce the consumption of
cooling and heating energy. In addition to these
ecological functions, it also acts as an architectural
element.
Western views.
Faades made of
steel and glass.
Plan drawings.
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Western elevation
Northern elevation
Northern view.
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still versatile entity into the townscape. The properties of the chosen faade materials made it possible to use a simple form language that contains all
the necessary functional, economical and technical
characteristics.
The steel faade parts are made of stainless steel
sheet, 1.25 mm in thickness, perforated and profiled as a stiff structure. The profiled sections are
fixed on the raised horizontal stainless steel strips
of the intermediate floors. The perforated sections
act as windows and replacement air vents. On
faades, stainless steel is a low maintenance
material in urban surroundings and marine atmosphere.
Section
Plan drawing
Elevation toward
Porkkalankatu Street
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Site plan
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Materials
The load-bearing column frames of the house are
made of stainless steel. The surface finish of the
steel is in internal spaces mostly ground while
pickled steel is used in the garage. The vestibule at
the main entrance, the balconies and the staircase
are also made of stainless steel.
The internal cladding of the element walls consists
of painted gypsum board. Flooring is beech parquet and ceramic tile. At the request of the lady of
the house, the worktops in the kitchen and in the
laundry room were mainly made of stainless steel.
The uniform impression of the internal spaces is
emphasised, e.g. by the identical pull handles and
skirting structures, all made of stainless steel.
The roofing and the window sills are made of copper. The downpipes, the fence posts and the frames of the external staircases are made of stainless steel. Part of the external cladding is also
stainless steel.
4 rooms, kitchen, laundry room, sauna section, car
shelter, storeroom, technical space
Southern elevation
Northern elevation
Eastern elevation
Western elevation
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