Whether you are working on a project for a college course, designing a model for an architectural firm, or simply enjoy designing scale buildings as a hobby, the timing has never been better for creating a masterpiece.
There is no shortage of innovative building materials on the market today to help make your architecture project come to life, allowing you to create stunning, high-quality designs that will have onlookers staring in admiration, desirous that your project could be converted to allow patrons use.
Insulated Concrete Framing
The best way to make an outstanding architecture project is to give your piece the highest quality framing. While a wooden framed building may come to the forefront of your mind by default, there are a number of issues with this construction that can come back to undermine your project, including the following:
- Swelling and shrinking. Wood framing is notoriously porous, acting as a sponge for moisture during times of heavy rainfall. This will cause the framing to swell noticeably in moist conditions and subsequently shrink as this moisture evaporates, wreaking havoc on your carefully calculated craftsmanship
- Termites. Any cracks or imperfections in your design, along with the aforementioned moisture, can open the door for these irksome pests
- Wind damage. Wood framing is highly susceptible to wind, with wind commonly finding small cracks and crevices in a design. These small leaks build over time to end in disaster. The necessary treatments and load resistance measures needed to seal out wind can significantly slow down your progress on the project
A superior option for your architecture project is insulated concrete framing. This innovative product forms a solid, one-piece frame that is airtight and resistant to moisture, fire, and wind. It also does not require pre-fabrication of panels, allowing for flexibility in the construction process to perfect a wide array of custom designs.
Decorative Materials for the Walls and Ceilings
The days of office spaces and commercial buildings being a collection of stiff, drab cubicles are a thing of the past. Modern designers strive to find ways to elicit positivity and creativity in those inhabiting work paces, and you should take some time to reflect this mindset in your architecture project.
Decorative acoustic wall panels and ceiling panels are a great way to accomplish this. Not only do the creative, trendy designs give any space a flair of personality, but they can offer a number of additional functional benefits, such as sound insulation.
Steel Siding
Even as technology improves the quality and availability of building materials, there is still a wide appreciation of old-school, natural products, such as brick and wood. While these materials provide a classic taste of Americana, they can be expensive to obtain and difficult to maintain, as they need frequent sealing and treatment in order to maintain their appearance and efficacy.
In this case, why not side your project with a material that encapsulates the best of both the past and the present? Steel siding comes in many designs and colors, some of which are nearly indistinguishable from natural wood, stone, or brick. The best part is that steel siding is a low-maintenance siding that requires next to no maintenance, allowing you to set it and forget it while moving on to other parts of your project.
Exterior Sound and Debris Barriers
One of the challenges of designing for urban areas is that even the most trendy, functional structures can have their luster marred by swirling trash and loud, distracting sidewalk patrons.
As such, modern designers are using architectural grilles and other creative barriers to help insulate buildings from these concerns. Not only can such structures provide an attractive facade for your architecture project, but they also provide assistance in controlling the flow of air and natural light that reaches a building.
Todd Gillman is a freelance writer that loves sharing his knowledge and expertise on architecture. He lives in Land O’ Lakes, Florida where he enjoys spending time with his wife and researching architectural trends in his free time. Todd’s work as a freelance writer can be found on Building Product Advisor, a new construction industry resource.
