NEWS & UPDATES
World-Architects.com Profiles of Selected Architects | May 2020
CORRUGATED CARDBOARD CREATES ‘CORDUROY’ CONCRETE
“An all-glass facade would have been too dramatic a departure for such a location. “We wanted to tell the story of a building,” Leininger said, “that would appear undoubtedly contemporary, yet would speak to some of the qualities of historical Tribeca, and that would look domestic.”
Francois Leininger, Post-Office Architectes
Author: John Hill, world-architects.com
More than 900 panels — some as large as 11′ x 3’6″ — cover the building, with over 70 molds required for the different sizes and interactions with the four types of windows. Consistent across the precast panels is the texture, which was achieved, Leininger said, “by casting concrete over strips of corrugated cardboard laid at a 45° angle.” The goal was “an ever-changing facade,” dependent upon lighting conditions, time of day, and position of the observer. To Leininger, “the panels look at times crafty and mineral, and at times soft and light like corduroy.”
Click here to read the full article.
New York Yimby | February 2020
EXTERIOR WORK PROGRESSES ON 329 BROADWAY IN WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN
“Exterior work is moving along on 329 Broadway, a 17-story mixed-use building in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Designed by Syndicate Architecture and developed by Parkview Management, the 195-foot-tall reinforced concrete structure spans 175,000 square feet and will contain 63 units, more than 59,000 square feet of retail area on the first two floors, and around 24,500 square feet of community facilities on the third and fourth floors. JLJ Capital recently provided $57 million in financing for the project.”
Author: Michael Young, New York Yimby
TAKTL Architectural Ultra High Performance Concrete panels are installed as a part of a rainscreen system enveloping 31,000 sq. ft. of the main tower. The custom designed ribbed texture, in Platinum 75, creates a chevron like effect as the rib patterns mirror their direction when they reach a new plane.
Click here to read the full article.
The Architect’s Newspaper | August 2019
POST-OFFICE ARCHITECTES STAMPS TRIBECA WITH CORRUGATED CARDBOARD CONCRETE FRAMEWORK
“Thanks to its very fine grain, UHPC typically allows all kinds of textures,” said Post-Office Architects Co-Founder Francois Leininger. “Rather than creating a complicated texture using readily available digital processes and having to deal with the constrains (repetition, uniformity…), we wanted to create something crafty, something that would look a bit handmade, something with a unique feel. This was our way to pay tribute to the magnificent cast-iron architecture across the street and all around Tribeca.”
Author: Matthew Mara, The Architect’s Newspaper
The facade is Architectural Ultra High Performance Concrete (A|UHPC®) manufactured by TAKTL in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. TAKTL was uniquely suited for this project because of its ability to execute custom formwork with exceptional surface fidelity, coupled with its extremely high strength and durability, integrating 30 Warren into the fabric of Tribeca’s heavy stone facades that gracefully stand the test of time. UHPC’s tightly packed matrix makes it impervious to water migration, allowing it to endure the most challenging environmental conditions. TAKTL collaborated with Post-Office Architectes to achieve the design intent using a series of corrugated cardboard elements, executing the finished facade with TAKTL’s in-house mold technologies and automated casting capabilities.
Click here to read the full article.
AIA | June 2019
CHILDREN’S KENNEDY OUTPATIENT CENTER BY HKS ARCHITECTS GARNERS ACCLAIM
Recently completed Children’s Kennedy Outpatient Center, by HKS Architects, has been awarded 2018 and 2019 AIA Richmond Design Award for Excellence (Honor and Merit) with additional publication as a 2019 Healthcare Design Showcase Award Finalist. The project features a rainscreen assembly with 12,380ft² TAKTL A|UHPC® panels in Smooth, Rough 1, Crinkle, and Reeds textures in White and Platinum color.
Photo by Tom Harris
Click here to see all 2019 AIA Richmond Design Award for Excellence Projects
Click here to see all 2018 AIA Richmond Design Award for Excellence Projects
Click here to see all 2019 Healthcare Design Showcase Winners
Tribeca Citizen | June 2019
A SNEAK-PEAK AT THE 30 WARREN FACADE
“The panels’ color changes depending on the light and the position of the observer, going from light grey to merely black in the blink of an eye…”
TAKTL A|UHPC® was custom cast in a corrugated ribbed pattern for 19,500 sq. ft. of 30 Warren facade designed by Post-Office Architectes.
Click here to see full post with images.
Click here for full interview with Francois Leininger of Post-Office Architectes.
AIA | April 2019
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO, DFALD + AMHERST COLLEGE NEW SCIENCE CENTER AWARDED AIA COTE® TOP TEN
Amherst College New Science Center by Payette, and Universityof Toronto, Daniels Building by NADAA, Adamson Associates Architects & ERAArchitects, are two of 2019 AIA COTE Top Ten award recipients. Both projectsfeature TAKTL A|UHPC® Facade panels integrated into the rainscreen system ofeach project.
Click here to see all of 2019 AIA COTE Top Ten
Architect’s Newspaper | December 2018
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO DFALD, WINS ARCHITECT’S NEWSPAPER 2018 BEST OF DESIGN AWARD FOR EDUCATION
University of Toronto’s Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design (DFALD), by NADAAA, was honored with Architect’s Newspaper 2018 Best of Design Award for Education design. Custom aggregate TAKTL A|UHPC® panels are featured on DFALD’s Eastern and Western elevations in a dynamic scaling pattern.
Click here to read more about the AN 2018 Best of Design Award for Education
AIA | October 2018
PAGLIUCA HARVARD LIFE LAB WINS 2018 AIA NATIONAL INNOVATION AWARD
Pagliuca Harvard Life Lab, by Shepley Bullfinch, was one of two projects selected for the 2018 AIA National Innovation Award. TAKTL A|UHPC® standard white panels, in Smooth, Rough 2 and Reeds textures, were installed during the off-site prefabrication process. Modular units were shipped from Pennsylvania to their final destination in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where the units were assembled on site.
Click here to read more about the Harvard Life Lab award here.
Archdaily | September 2018
MCDONALD’S CHICAGO FLAGSHIP FEATURED ON ARCHDAILY
McDonald’s new Flagship in Chicago, by Ross Barney Architects, incorporates TAKTL A|UHPC® custom graphic panels, cladding the exterior drive-through and interior elevations of the modern facility engineered with LEED Platinum performance and sustainability in mind.
Click here to see more images of completed project at Archdaily
AIA | September 2018
PAGLIUCA HARVARD LIFE LAB WINS 2018 AIA AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
Pagliuca Harvard Life Lab, designed by Shepley Bulfinch and built offsite in a sophisticated modular construction facility, has been announced as one of eight winners for the 2018 AIA Award of Excellence for Education Facility Design. The Life Lab was designed with standard white TAKTL A|UHPC® panels in three unique textures. The smooth, rough, and linear textures accentuate the material’s natural color variation, and create stark and subtle visual effects in differing light conditions.
Click here to see all 2018 AIA Education Facility Design winners.
Concrete Contractor | August 2018
ULTRA HIGH PERFORMANCE CONCRETE
A type of concrete you haven’t heard about, but should.
Joe Nasvik of Concrete Contractor examines the characteristics TAKTL Architectural Ultra High Performance Concrete introduces to the building market, making it an ideal material for prefabricated modular and unitized curtain wall systems.
Click here for the full article and photos at Concrete Contractor.
Metropolis Magazine | August 2018
RUTGERS UNIVERSITY, CAMDEN NURSING AND SCIENCE BUILDING FEATURES TAKTL PANEL RAINSCREEN CLADDING IN TERRACOTTA
“The Perkins Eastman–designed Rutgers University project balances site-sensitive design with a bold architectural statement for the school’s (and city’s) future.” -Heather Corcoran
Click here for the full article and photos of the project at Metropolis Magazine.
National Institute of Building Sciences | April 2018
TAKTL TEAM PRESENTS AT 2018 BEST5 CONFERENCE IN BUILDING ENCLOSURE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY™
Sponsored by the National Institute of Building Sciences, the BEST5 Conference showcases new research and leading practice in building enclosure technologies. TAKTL had two invited speakers at the conference this year, presenting technical papers in their respective areas of expertise.
Click here to see the 2018 AIA NY Design Award winners.
Architects Newspaper, AIANY | January 2018
PROJECTS WITH TAKTL WIN AIANY AWARDS
The American Institute of Architects, New York (AIANY) recently announced their award winners for this year, and two of them use TAKTL. The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) by Freelon Adjaye Bond / SmithGroupJJR was awarded best in competition, and the University of Toronto Daniels Building by NADAAA won an honor award.
For design renderings and additional photography of the University of Toronto Building, visit the NADAAA website.
Click here to see the 2018 AIA NY Design Award winners.
Wallpaper Best Cultural Buildings | December 2017
SUMA MAKES LIST OF TOP BUILDINGS THAT SHAPED CULTURE IN 2017
Brooks + Scarpa’s popular project continues to earn praise as one of the year’s most significant structures.
Click herefor the complete list.
Architectural Record | November 2017
THE BRIDGE BY WEISS/MANFREDI AT CORNELL TECH
Featured in Architectural Record, Weiss/Manfredi’s campus building ambitiously combines facilities for tech businesses and engineering students, using TAKTL panels as angular wrapping in the atrium where the mingling occurs. In a space that Architect Marion Weiss calls her firm’s “biggest single move.” TAKTL provided a custom white color and mediablast finish that suit the restrained energy of the project.
Check out the full article here.
Architect Magazine, Architect’s Newspaper, ArchDaily | November 2017
BROOKS + SCARPA’S SOUTHERN UTAH MUSEUM OF ART CAPTURES WIDE ARCHITECTURAL COVERAGE
Brooks + Scarpa’s Southern Utah Museum of Art, whose dramatic roof cantilevers and plunges in tribute to nearby canyons and mountains, uses TAKTL’s Arbos panels in White for its distinctive low-relief facade. ARCHITECT cites “formal and material creativity” as well as the project’s ability to “achieve some savings through the use of precast panels.” Architect’s Newspaper compares the panels to “the texture of a sheer cliff face.” For ArchDaily, the building is a “true cultural destination.”
Check out the full articles at Architect Magazine, Architect’s Newspaper, and ArchDaily.
Architect Magazine | October 2017
WASILLA PUBLIC LIBRARY FEATURED IN ARCHITECT MAGAZINE
Architect ECI used TAKTL panels to realize this Alaska building that the client envisioned as a “library in the woods.” TAKTL is well-suited to meet exacting project requirements stipulating minimal maintenance and high thermal performance in a unitized curtain wall system with factory-quality construction.
Check out the full article here.
Los Angeles Times | September 2017
LOS ANGELES TIMES FEATURES WESTFIELD CENTURY CITY MALL $1 BILLION RENOVATION
The Los Angeles Times ran a feature on the comprehensive renovation to the Westfield Century City Mall complex, where TAKTL panels in a backlit rainscreen assembly are a foreground element in one of the complex’s most visible facades.
Check out the full article here.
Archdaily | September 2017
CAMPUS OF THE DIGITAL AGE EXAMINES THE BRIDGE BY WEISS/MANFREDI AT CORNELL TECH
The Bridge at Cornel Tech in New York City by Weiss/Manfredi is part of ArchDaily’s portfolio article on the cutting edge multi-university campus on Roosevelt Island. TAKTL panels that include a custom color and media blast finish are a feature of the atrium that architect Marion Weiss called “a crystalline social condenser.”
Check out the full article here.
Archdaily | July 2017
251 FIRST STREET CONDOMINIUMS FEATURED ON ARCHDAILY
251 First, designed by ODA New York, is clad in a combination of TAKTLSTANDARD+ and TAKTLSTANDARD A|UHPC facade panels. It “is ODA’s latest manifestation of its steadfast commitment to improving quality of life in urban areas,” as a development in Brooklyn’s Park Slope neighborhood. The TAKTL panels on each balcony feature stone aggregate in Titanium, available in the TAKTLSTANDARD program. The floor and window-separating panels expose the same aggregate in custom-molded designs with Smooth and Rough 3 textures.
Check out the full article and 40+ project images here.
Architectural Record | July 2017
SWEDISH EDMONDS AMBULATORY CENTER FEATURED IN ARCHITECTURAL RECORD HEALTHCARE
NBBJ’s design for the Swedish Edmonds Ambulatory Center in Edmonds, Washington is featured in Architectural Record’s focus on healthcare issue this July. TAKTL was specified for the exterior entrance cladding and interior lobby spaces. In the article, NBBJ designer, Brian Uyesugi describes, “‘We tried to find materials and products that would help describe that movement and sedimentation.'” The design team specified Arbos 2 panels to achieve this intent.
Click here to read the full article.
Architect’s Newspaper | July 2017
LEARN MORE ABOUT TAKTL AT FACADES+AM AUSTIN
TAKTL will be represented at the Architect’s Newspaper Facades+AM Austin event July 18. Our Project Development Manager will be available to answer questions about A|UHPC ventilated wall assembly cladding, as well as a variety of exterior and interior architectural applications.
Click here to register for the event.
AIA New England | December 2016
HAMILTON COLLEGE AND BINNEY STREET PROJECTS PRESENTED 2016 AIA NEW ENGLAND HONOR AWARDS
Two Northeast US projects, featuring TAKTL ventilated facade panel cladding, were celebrated in 2016 AIA Honor Award programs. The Hamilton College Kennedy Center for Theatre and the Studio Arts, designed by Machado Silvetti, won an AIA New England Honor Award (Institutional), and 75-125 Binney Street, designed by Payette Associates, won an AIA New England Citation Award (Commercial).
Click here to see all the AIA New England Honor Awardees.
Alberta Construction Magazine | December 2016
BANFF GONDOLA UPPER TERMINAL RENOVATIONS WINS PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
The Banff Gondola Upper Terminal Renovations were recognized in Alberta Construction Magazine’s Top Projects, winning People’s Choice and Commercial Under $50 Million awards. This project posed a unique challenge for material sourcing. All materials were transported to the site atop Sulphur Mountain by helicopter or gondola. (Image courtesy of orangegirl.com)
Click here to see all the all of the Top Projects winners.
AIA Pennsylvania | November 2016
AIA PENNSYLVANIA HONORS TAKTL WITH 2016 ALLIED PROFESSIONS AWARD
In November 2016, TAKTL was honored with the 3rd annual Allied Professions Award. The award was presented for TAKTL’s contribution to the built environment and the company’s commitment to uphold the tenets of design, sustainability and collaboration. Previous recipients include Mascaro Construction (2015) and Langan Engineering & Environmental Services (2014). The TAKTL Team accepted the award at the AIA Pennsylvania’s 2016 Architectural Excellence Design Awards Event.
Click here to check out all the award winners.
Architect’s Newspaper | October 2016
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SCHOOL OF FRESHWATER SCIENCES FEATURED IN ARCHITECT’S NEWSPAPER FACADES+
Facades+ revisited the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, academic building completed in 2015. Natalie Gentile, associate principal at Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, “said the panels played a significant role in producing the water-inspired visual effects she sought: ‘I’m really pleased with how the TAKTL panels are performing in terms of meeting our architectural goals for replicating the way water reflects light under different lighting conditions.'”.
Click here to read article.
Modelo | August 2016
MODELO FEATURES TAKTL’S DESIGN DIRECTOR IN DESIGN MANIFESTO
TAKTL Design Director, Jason Flannery, was profiled by the team at Modelo his impact on the development of VECTR Research’s UHPC manufacture and applications. Jason details how his personal design background and the strengths of TATKL’s team have impacted the company’s success and acceptance of UHPC in the architectural market. “Just five years ago there were very few architects in the U.S. who had worked with UHPC. Like any other “new” material there is a learning curve to really maximizing its potential. Now that we are working with architects on their second and third projects we are really starting to see a better understanding of how the material can be used and pushed in new directions.”
Click here to read the article.
Architectural Record | May 2016
TAKTL WINS ADVERTISING EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR 2ND YEAR IN A ROW
At the AIA Convention in Philadelphia, PA, TAKTL was honored with the ARCHITECTURAL RECORD 2016 Advertising Excellence Award for its January advertisement featuring 75-125 Binney Street (Architect: Payette Associates). Award jurors represented a wide spectrum of architectural firms including: HOK, DIGSAU, Erdy McHenry Architecture, SITIO, and Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, who appreciated TAKTL’s editorial style.
Click here to check out all the award winners.
Architect Magazine | March 2016
TAKTL FEATURED IN ARCHITECT TECH + PRODUCTS
ARCHITECT revisits TAKTL, 2011 R+D Award winner, to learn about the company’s progress in developing Ultra High Performance Concrete for architectural applications.
Click here to read the full interview with Design Director, Jason Flannery.
Forbes | March 2016
NEW CONCRETE MATERIALS ARE MORE GREEN THAN GRAY
Forbes / Tech explores new concrete materials and features TAKTL’s model to minimize the environmental footprint for producing Ultra High Performance Concrete.
Click hereto read the full article.
TAKTL | February 2016
TAKTL EXPANDS INTO A HISTORIC MANUFACTURING PLANT & ANNOUNCES NEW R&D FACILITY IN PITTSBURGH
Five years ago, we banded together as an interdisciplinary team of business leaders, architects and innovators to launch TAKTL, the United States’ first Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC) manufacturing company that specializes in durable, versatile, and visually compelling architectural facade panels and architectural elements. Today, TAKTL is 120 people and an international leader in the market for UHPC panels, and our products can be seen on high-profile projects all over the Americas.
Click hereto read the full article.
Goodwill of Southern Pennsylvania | October 2015
TAKTL TEAM NAMED WINNER OF 2015 POWER OF WORK AWARD
The TAKTL Team is one of four winners of the Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s 2015 Power of Work Awards, selected from over 130 nominated companies. The award honors employers and organizations for their efforts in support of workforce development for individuals with disabilities and other barriers to employment.
Click hereto read the full article.
AIA Pittsburgh | October 2015
3 PROJECTS WITH UNIQUE TAKTL APPLICATIONS HONORED AT DESIGN PITTSBURGH 2015
The Cathedral Campus (Strada Architecture, LLC), School of Freshwater Sciences (Bohlin Cywinski Jackson with Continuum Architects + Planners), and Chatham University Eden Hall Campus (Mithun) were celebrated for their design merit at the AIA Pittsburgh Design Pittsburgh 2015 awards.
Click here to read the full article.
Breaking Ground | July 2015
TAKTL FEATURED IN BREAKING GROUND
Western Pennsylvania’s magazine for construction and real estate professionals, Breaking Ground, takes an inside look at TAKTL’s exciting development as the company celebrates 5 years in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Click here to read the full article.
ArchDaily | May 2015
ARCHDAILY INTERVIEWS TAKTL
In “Material Minds: The Possibilities of Ultra High Performance Concrete,” TAKTL leaders weigh in on the environmental and performance advantages of their facade and wall panels, as well as announce the launch of a new R&D company, VECTR Research.
Click here to learn more.
Architizer A+ Awards Finalist | April 2015
TAKTL WINS 2015 ARCHITIZER A+ AWARD
TAKTL Facade Panels win the third annual Architizer A+ Awards Building Products: Facades category. Finalists were selected by a jury of over 300 professionals including architects, cultural leaders, artists, and technologists.
Click here to learn more.
GATEWAY REHABILITATION YOUTH CENTER AWARDED CERTIFICATE OF MERIT
Rothschild Doyno Collaborative’s completed Gateway Youth Center project was awarded the Certificate of Merit for Architecture in the 2014 AIA Pittsburgh Design Awards. Jurors highlighted several design successes, including the visual interest of textural TAKTL panels.
Read more at AIA Pittsburgh.
Architect’s Newspaper Facades+ Performance Conference | July 2013
TAKTL TEAM PRESENTS AT ARCHITECT’S NEWSPAPER FACADES+ PERFORMANCE CONFERENCE
Jason Flannery and Dee Briggs of the TAKTL Team will both be presenting at the Architect’s Newspaper Facades+ Performance conference in San Francisco on July 11 and 12. Dee will present TAKTL to all conference attendees on Thursday the 11th and Jason will lead an emerging materials workshop focused on ultra high performance concrete (UHPC) on Friday the 12th.
Click here to register for the conference.
Metropolis Magazine | May 2013
VECTR CLADDING ON NYC BEACHFRONT COMFORT STATIONS
Landscape Architect Terrie Brightman, RLA, ASLA, of Mathews Nielsen, writes about the current restoration of the beachfronts in New York City. Beaches at Coney Island, the Rockaways and Staten Island sustained heavy damage in Hurricane Sandy. VECTR planks were chosen to clad the modular, prefabricated comfort stations as a durable material that complements the existing material palette:
“The new modular elements put the floor 19 feet above mean sea level (or above the revised FEMA 500-year flood line). This design will not only limit damage from wave action and storm surges, it will also provide a “view-through” that allows passersby on boardwalks and pathways to see under the new WCs and lifeguard stations to the beach beyond.“
Find the blog post here: http://www.metropolismag.com/Point-of-View/May-2013/The-Green-Team-Hurricane-Sandy-Recovery-for-NYCs-Beaches/
Landscape Architecture Magazine | February 2013
SWEEP PLANTER FEATURED AS A “GREAT DIVIDER”
LAM editor Lisa Speckhardt includes the SWEEP Planter in her February column entitled “Great Dividers”:
“Stack up the SWEEP Planter by SITU and you get a wall—with greenery peeking out. The planter is made from an ultra-high-performance concrete called TAKTL, which is strong and durable. The SWEEP comes with a recycled plastic liner. Each planter component is a foot high, and the planters come in combinations of three and four to create the wall effect.”
Find the feature here: http://www.zinio.com/pages/LandscapeArchitectureMagazine/Feb-13/416251605/pg-54
GOOD Online Feature | November 2012
TAKTL “MAKING THE CONCRETE JUNGLE MORE BEAUTIFUL—AND SUSTAINABLE”
Contributing writer Sarah Stankorb profiled TAKTL as part of the GOOD.IS “Small Business Collaborative” series highlighting innovative small businesses:
“Lauren Flannery and her husband Roger founded TAKTL in 2010, a spin-off from other ventures designing and manufacturing for architecture. They first heard of UHPC when the research arm of their company came across the material, finding it could achieve a range of textures and colors. It was also a sustainable option, with low-energy production and a long life. It was even recyclable. They worked with the world experts in UHPC, German partners who chemically formulated TAKTL’s product, along with a range of algorithms that allow them to reformulate its production according to the building site, using nearby materials.”
Read the complete profile here: http://www.good.is/posts/making-the-concrete-jungle-beautiful-and-sustainable
Landscape Architecture Magazine | September 2012
SITU URBAN ELEMENTS “MOST PERSUASIVE” ADVERTISEMENT
The Landscape Architecture Magazine Advertising Awards, known as the Lammy’s, is a reception held yearly at the ASLA annual meeting to recognize advertisements for Best Graphic Quality, Best Message, and Most Persuasive.
At the 2012 Annual Meeting, SITU Urban Elements won an award for “Most Persuasive” advertisement.
Architect Magazine | September 2012
ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE: FACE TO FAÇADE
Mithun’s Sandy Mendler, AIA, chose TAKTL as a favorite facade material in this month’s Architect Magazine:
Tradition wasn’t enough of a starting point for a new 96-bed dormitory at Chatham University in Pennsylvania. Among the United States’s first non-single-family houses to seek Passive House certification, the project was a challenge for Mithun’s San Francisco office. Taktl cementitious rainscreen panels clad the double-skin, wood-framed façade. To achieve net-zero energy, the building also features Sanyo’s bifacial photovoltaic panels. “The rooftop photovoltaic system folds down and creates a façade layer to the south,” says principal Sandy Mendler, AIA. “People think of Passive House … [as] just for houses. But it does make a lot of sense for institutional-scale buildings.”
Taktl’s ultrahigh-performance concrete mixture overcomes conventional concrete’s lack of flexural strength and freeze-thaw resistance. Suitable for cladding and rainscreen applications, these 1/2″-thick panels come in eight colors and textures.
Architect Magazine September 2012
The Andy Warhol Museum | June 24-September 9, 2012
FACTORY DIRECT: PITTSBURGH
Flower Girl (Image ©Albert Vecerka/Esto) is made of TAKTL ultra high performance concrete. Sculptor Dee Briggs worked directly with the manufacturer to create the piece installed in the lobby of the Warhol Museum that represents a cropping of a large façade surface. The flower pattern was cast into this exceptional concrete that is much stronger than traditional concrete and is also able to transfer extraordinary detail on to its surface.
Factory Direct: Pittsburgh showcases the artwork of 14 established contemporary artists invited to conduct artist residencies in Pittsburgh-based factories. Factory Direct: Pittsburgh artists worked closely with the management teams and factory workers within their host facilities to plan and execute a new work of art based on the factory’s history, technologies, materials, and/or processes.
The following participating artists and factory partnerships are:
Chakaia Booker (USA) / Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University ; Dee Briggs (USA) / TAKTL ; Thorsten Brinkmann (Germany) / Construction Junction ; Jeanette Doyle (Ireland) / Ansaldo STS USA ; Fabrizio Gerbino (Italy) / Calgon Carbon Corporation ; Ann Hamilton (USA) / Bayer & Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ; William Earl Kofmehl III (USA) / Boyd & Blair: Potato Vodka; Ryan McGinness (USA) / Forms+Surfaces; Mark Neville (Scotland) / US Steel; Sarah Oppenheimer / PPG Industries ; Edgar Orlaineta (Mexico) / Alcoa Inc. ; ORLAN (France) / BodyMedia ; Tomoko Sawada (Japan) / Heinz ; Todd Eberle (USA) has photographed all companies.
View the profiles of all of the artists participating in FACTORY DIRECT: PITTSBURGH here.
Green GOOD DESIGN Award | Research/Technology | Green Product Design | June 2012
The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design selected TAKTL® as one of two recipients for the 2012 Green GOOD DESIGN Award in the category of Research/Technology. TAKTL was doubly honored by also receiving a 2012 award for VECTR Façade Panels in the category of Green Product Design.
Green GOOD DESIGN is an annual award that “identifies and emphasizes the world’s most important examples of sustainable design and develops a public awareness program to communicate to the international general public which companies are doing the best job in sustainable design for ourworld environments” . TAKTL was honored in this category for “Material Research, Design, and Manufacturing”.
Members of The European Center’s International Advisory Committee—worldwide leaders in the design industry—served as the jury, judging thousands of GOOD DESIGN applicants from 27 countries. The award “bestows international recognition to those outstanding individuals, companies, organizations, governments, and institutions – together with their products, services, programs, ideas, and concepts – that have forwarded exceptional thinking and inspired greater progress toward a healthier and more sustainable universe”.
DETAILS Magazine | April 2012
The Rust Belt Revival
Even in downtrodden manufacturing hubs, industriousness and industry still go together. The designers and engineers behind TAKTL, which launched in 2010, have created a new ultra-high-performance concrete with an appealing, ceramic-like finish. More durable, sustainable, and affordable than the standard-grade construction material, it could change the way we make everything from light fixtures and park benches to bridges and building façades.
http://www.details.com/culture-trends/
ASLA Annual Meeting & EXPO | October 2011
SITU Urban Elements
SITU recently introduced its current product offering, along with several design concepts, to the marketplace at the ASLA Annual Meeting & EXPO in San Diego. Fresh off the heels of a successful inaugural participation in the event, the team is back in Pittsburgh and eagerly following up with new contacts. Thank you to all who visited our booth.
ARCHITECT Magazine | August 2011
TAKTL 2011 R+D Awards Citation
This year’s jury was taken with a UHPC formulation called Taktl, made by a company of the same name launched as a separate entity five years ago by architectural-products manufacturer Forms+Surfaces. The jurors were impressed by the company’s commitment to innovation and its eco-minded manufacturing model, which sources local materials. TAKTL engineers focus on performance testing and the development of materials such as formulations, coatings, reinforcements, and pigments. An in-house team of designers uses modeling software to find new applications for the materials. Juror Julie Eizenberg praised the “dedication to experimentation with the product, which came through really clearly.”
snap | August/September 2011
Sustainable Skins, Facades that Ventilate And Display
“The closest commercially available material to TAKTL in the architectural products we’re making would be GFRC [glass fiber reinforced concrete], but the base concrete in GFRC is not UHPC,” says Jason Flannery, TAKTL’s head of design. “TAKTL outperforms GFRC in compressive, tensile, and flexural strength, and, unlike GFRC, TAKTL can be cast in virtually any shape, texture, or pattern.” These improvements, along with the capability to custom-color the material, have transformed UHPC from a technical construction material into a group of multidimensional interior and exterior wall elements and panels, as well as urban furnishing such as benches, receptacles, and planters.
Architerials | June 21, 2011
TAKTL: Ultra High Performance Concrete
The company is based in Pennsylvania, but their approach to manufacturing is nothing short of progressive. The team at TAKTL have developed a mobile, modular manufacturing process that allows them to set up a facility close to any project in the world. That makes it possible to source labor and materials locally – talk about shrinking your carbon footprint! Look for installations of their products coming this fall.
3rings | May 11, 2011
TAKTL’s Urban and Commercial Use of Ultra High Performance Concrete
Out in Western Pennsylvania they’ve been researching new ways to develop ultra high performance concrete (or UHPC) for products, architectural applications, landscape, and design industries. Without further ado, two of the founding principals of Forms + Surfaces bring to us TAKTL: a research, design, and manufacturing company with an absolute specialty in the material that could change the way our commercial buildings are constructed.
Architectural Record | May 2011
A range of new material options, from concrete to luminous wood veneer.
Although it is a new design material, it should feel familiar, says Flannery. “TAKTL is for the most part made up of similar components to conventional concrete; this was an essential part of its development,” he says. “The magic, if you will, is in the precisely controlled relationship between these components.”
materialicious | May 2011
VECTR Wall and Facade Panels
VECTR interior wall and facade panels are made of TAKTL, a new ultra high performance concrete (UHPC), with unlimited potential to create subtle or dramatic articulated wall surfaces or facades. The unique formula and manufacturing process of TAKTL, developed with research partners in Germany, yields a UHPC with superior strength, durability and color saturation that can be cast in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and patterns.
MATERIAL & SOURCES | April 30, 2011
VECTR Kalahari Cladding from TAKTL
TAKTL is a new ultra high performance concrete (UHPC) that has unlimited potential for architects and designers. The product has superior strength, durability and environmental performance with a wide range of pattern, finish and color options. Two co-founders of Forms + Surfaces started their own company to research and develop this new proprietary material. Additionally they started two sister companies, SITU makes site furnishings and VECTR makes exterior and interior wall panels, both of which offer off-the-shelf and custom solutions.
FABRIKATOR | April 29, 2011
Wilson Savastano Venezia’s Dukhan Facade: TAKTL
Though their opacity will vary—the building design calls for solid forms at the top of the structure and perforated pieces for occupied floors—each panel will be ¾ inches thick and cast to fit the sculptured facade. The panels require no post-processing, no coating, and no cutting, resulting in minimal waste during production. The company’s manufacturing process is also modular and mobile. For the DCC project, they will establish a facility in the region where the panels will be cast using concrete components sourced from within a 200-mile radius. The same setup can be arranged almost anywhere in the world.
CURBED | April 26, 2011
PINK GETS FRESH: London Townhouse Is the New Look for Thomas Pink
Another huge thing for us is color. It was absolutely key to call out the pink and black. For the floor we’ve used a black granite in a herringbone pattern to link back to the old parquet, but ran a pink line around the perimeter to call out our signature color.” That same motif shows up with the black leather club chairs that have a subtle pink trim.
ARCHITECT | April 6, 2011
TAKTL SITU and VECTR
Last year, two co-founders of Forms + Surfaces started their own company to research and develop a proprietary ultrahigh-performance concrete called TAKTL. The partners have also formed two sister companies to manufacture products using TAKTL. SITU makes landscape products and street furniture, such as benches (shown). VECTR makes exterior and interior wall panels. Both companies offer off-the-shelf and custom solutions.
The Bridge at Cornel Tech in New York City by Weiss/Manfredi is part of ArchDaily’s portfolio article on the cutting edge multi-university campus on Roosevelt Island. TAKTL panels that include a custom color and media blast finish are a feature of the atrium that architect Marian Weiss called “a crystalline social condenser.”The Bridge at Cornel Tech in New York City by Weiss/Manfredi is part of ArchDaily’s portfolio article on the cutting edge multi-university campus on Roosevelt Island. TAKTL panels that include a custom color and media blast finish are a feature of the atrium that architect Marian Weiss called “a crystalline social condenser.”