NEWS Environmental Building News (July 2008) Features What's Happening Product News & Reviews BackPage Primers Opinion GreenSource Magazine EBN Archives

Structure as Finish:
The Pros and Cons of Leaving Off Layers

Consistent with the environmental goals and theme of the Deramus Education Pavilion at the Kansas City Zoo, Bob Berkebile and Tom Nelson of BNIM Architects in Kansas City initially included a number of high-end finishes. Surfaces specified for this $16 million project included 100% wool carpet and a floor made from discarded stone fragments from a local marble company. But due to a sudden leap in construction costs in the region near the completion of design, the project ended up over budget and many of the finishes were either downgraded or removed entirely. Noting that “everything that could readily be removed was eliminated during value engineering,” Berkebile now strives to use finishes that are integral to the structure right from the start.

Berkebile’s creative response to the problem of making functional and aesthetic surfaces integral to the structure is not really new. Many buildings, especially architectural landmarks and high-end custom homes, make a statement by exposing dramatic structural elements. Exposed structures hark back to antiquity and continue today in many indigenous building systems. The elegant simplicity of having one material perform multiple functions still appeals to many designers.

The opposite approach, of using separate materials for structure and finish, also has a logic, however. Materials that are designed to perform one basic function are more likely to fulfill that function well than those that are doing double-duty. The need for thermal insulation in building envelopes also increases the likelihood that separate finish layers will be needed to contain and protect the insulation. And keeping distinct functions separate can be helpful when the building is adapted to different uses in the future.
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