The historic breakthroughs in the science of metallurgy over the last quarter century have produced an array of new metallic building materials. Architects and designers now have a far broader palette of metals to choose from than at any other time in history, and metal is fast becoming the star building material featured in some of today's most exciting new building projects. A book whose time has come, Archi-tectural Metals is the first comprehensive guide to the metals and metallic finishes currently available for use in architecture. Learn from a fourth-generation expert in the field who has, over the past fifteen years, consulted on some of the world's most prestigious building projects. Architectural Metals demystifies metals for architects, artisans, and design professionals providing them with a logical framework for the selection and use of the correct material for the job at hand. Encyclopedic in scope, Architectural Metals is an extremely user-friendly working resource supplying readers with instant access to a wealth of essential information about the forms and behaviors of metallic building materials. From aluminum, stainless steel, copper, lead, and zinc to new metals and finishes such as titanium, pewter-coated copper, and colored stainless steel, it describes everything architects, engineers, and design professionals need to know about all the common and many uncommon metals at their disposal. Each chapter of Architectural Metals is devoted to a specific type of metal, metallic finish, or coating.

Each includes a historical overview, environmental concerns, an exhaustive description of available forms and (where appropriate) colors, performance evaluations, finishes, weathering and corrosion characteristics, maintenance and restoration techniques, fastening, welding, and joining methods, and more. And since each metal-producing industry has its own unique jargon and systems of measurement, the author takes pains throughout to define relevant terms and translate measurement and thickness indices into familiar inch and millimeter scales. Destined to become a standard in the field, Architectural Metals is an indispensable tool for architects, designers, and artisans who work with metals. "Metalis the material of our time. It enables architecture to become sculpture; it also expresses technological possibility as well as the time-honored characteristics of quality and permanence." --From Frank O. Gehry's foreword to Architectural Metals Written by one of the leading experts on architectural metals, this is the first comprehensive guide to the metals and metallic finishes and coatings available for use in architectural construction. Growing out of its author's experiences helping architects realize some of the most exciting designs of the past twenty years, Architectural Metals: * Demystifies metals for architects and design professionals * Supplies a logical framework for selecting the best materials for the job at hand * Provides instant access to everything architects and designers need to.