Over a year ago, we published five trends for 2023, and a consistent trend watcher does so every year. Have there been a lot of changes over the past year? Its sometimes said that the construction industry shifts like a heavy loaded container ship, but this image deserves some revision. At Metadecor we see new developments that we want to share.

Love for rust

Yes, the demand to weather-resistant steel (or: corten steel) has increased again. Formerly it was linked to industrial environment (and exciting – monumental – buildings), the demand is now for rusting façades for new residential and commercial construction. With or without perforations. Upholding façades with corten cladding is a tough love (literally three times as heavy as aluminum), which changes in character over time. Don’t forget that every time rain falls, the façade will weep tears of rust particles – endlessly. So that needs to be worked out in detail!

Every city its own pattern or shape?

When it comes to patterns for MD Designperforation or MD Formatura, we always try to find out where the desire of a certain pattern or shape comes from. Now we see something different: in Rotterdam they like triangles, in The Hague the holes are round, and in Amsterdam the shapes are rather organic. In Eastern provinces, it’s all a bit more geometric. Now we see trends, but we don’t do garden variety philosophy, so feel free to draw your own conclusions.

Renaissance Hotel in Amsterdam

As long as it moves

First it was ‘façades with movable shutters’. ‘Then it became ‘movable façades’. A few steps further and we have a (global?) trend called ‘kinetic façades’. What is the difference? If the movement in the façade is functional (think of solar control panels or privacy screens) then it is a movable façade. If movement is used to call attention, to highlight architecture or just because it can be done (with a little electricity but preferably without), we call it kinetic. For our engineers these are exciting projects, the façades with MD Apertura. We already have many great references and more are sure to follow.

Bigger, smarter and faster

In the new assembly hall of Metadecor, next to the headquarters in Kampen, a construction-wide trend is literally in progress, prefabrication and assembly of elements as large as possible. On-site assembly time is getting shorter and shorter, assembly methods smarter and smarter. Projects such as HSC Zuidwolde and parking lot Binnendok were brought to the construction site in façade-sized panels and assembled at a rapid pace in small teams, carefully coordinated with the other construction streams of the projects. The hall has been in use for over six months now and we have almost forgotten what it was like ‘before’.

Designing with shadow

Summer was at times (very) hot and (too?) sunny and with that terms like “overheating” and “outdoor shading” came into the news. People rightly sought the shade. Shade is a beautiful design criterium for transparent façades. Daylight simulations are often the basis for certain configurations or the choice of a transparent or less transparent façade. In fact, what designers do, they design shadows. Think about the shadowpatterns that MD Formatura and MD Designperforation can create on floors, ceilings, and walls. At the headquarters of Metadecor we experience throughout the year the power of such transparent façades with beautiful shadow effects. In summer it is clearly cooler. When the winter sun breaks through the clouds, we enjoy the beautiful patterns on the walls and floors in the stairwell.

Metadecor Headquarters in Kampen

Curious about more developments in façade construction? Feel free to visit our headquarters in Kampen to see, feel, and experience the panels of many reference projects. A façade can be so much more than just that wonderful exterior. We are happy to think along with you.