Five trends in facades for 2023 

As Metadecor settles into the new year, we reflect upon recently completed projects and projects in the making for 2023. And by doing so, we do detect some trends. We name five.

Trend 1: Concave

Concave elements, concave elevations or whole concave facades. In two – completely different – parking garages we have installed 2-dimensionally formed sheets of MD Expanded Metal or MD Designperforation: Parking Garage Wisselspoor in Utrecht (NL, architects studioninedots) and Parkeerhuis ‘Hart van de Waalsprong’ in Nijmegen (NL, architects Korth Tielens).

Close to the project in Utrecht the facade of three terraced houses is concave, ‘to connect the residential spaces with the public realm’, according to the architects of Space Encounters. 

Looking at our Metadecor-portfolio for 2023, we know for sure: there is more ‘concave’ ahead!

Trend 2: Triangles

We are talking about perforated triangles, of course. Aluminium sheets of MD Designperforation with a pattern of triangles, or triangles as the pattern. The facade we installed at Theatre Zuidplein in Rotterdam (NL, architects De Zwarte Hond) has an almost oriental pattern with different triangles in different sizes (forming triangles).

The golden ceilings in Cultural Centre Amare in The Hague (NL, architects Jo Coenen Architects, NL Architects and NOAHH) also have acoustic qualities – and a lot of triangles. Another trend combined with these triangles? Gold! For future – international - projects we predict… more triangles. It is quite the thing. Or form. 

Trend 3: Gold, copper and bronze

When we are talking about precious metals at Metadecor, we usually talk about aluminium – with a special finish. If we could perforate a solid 2mm gold sheet, we probably would, but in reality: aluminium is much better in facades.

We do detect a tendency towards finishings in shades of gold, copper and bronze. For example, the penthouses in residential project Ananas (‘Pineapple’) in Leiden (NL, architects Van Egmond Architecten) have a ‘solid’ gold skin in MD Flack. The recently retrofitted primary school De Klimroos (‘The Climbing Rose’) in Utrecht shows sunshading MD Formatura panels with a leaf pattern, coated in a fresh metallic with a green shimmer. Not surprisingly, we have received ‘golden’ requests from the Middle East for facade solutions that hopefully will dazzle everybody in the near future.

Trend 4: Anodising

Compared to the years before, the projects in 2022 showed a tendency towards anodising to finish aluminium facades. This is undoubtedly connected with the development of the prices of anodising (versus powder coating).

From an environmental perspective, anodising has the advantage that it makes the aluminium more durable without adding an extra layer of material. But maybe this trend is also based on esthetical grounds: do we prefer the leaner patterns and a barren – subdued or shiny - surface? Take a look at the bronze screens in MD Designperforation of the Parking Garage Revius in Leeuwarden (NL, architects TWA Architecten) or the mesmerising – ‘champagne’ coloured - facade in MD Formatura of residential complex Plantsoen in Leiden (NL, architects VVKH Architecten), early adopters of this trend.

Trend 5: A modest palette

A very humble range of building materials was used for a few remarkable projects we recently delivered. The same goes for projects we are currently working on. For example, with the power station at IJburg (NL, architects Powerhouse Company) the facade is composed with different aluminium elements, powder coated in two shades of grey, a plinth of recycled bricks and a window here and there.

Boring? Not at all! The design is robust, but with a surprising amount of detail and architectural elements. A classic example of ‘the modest palette’ is the Toyota Material Handling Building in Ede (NL, architect Rempt van der Donk) that is covered with MD Expanded Metal in corten steel – and recently had an extension that you barely notice (although the building is almost twice as wide now). This building is getting more beautiful with the years, losing its orange glow and showing a darker, tactile skin. We love projects like this one: it shows our ability to make seamless connections, uniform textures and colours and eye-watering details (we are talking about the invisible ones, of course).

It is our ambition to make buildings that age gracefully or do not age at all.