Athletes participating in the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games starting Friday in British Columbia will sleep, eat, and watch sporting events in buildings that include Alcoa's energy-efficient, recyclable and colorful Reynobond aluminum composite material (ACM).
Athletes staying in the Olympic Village are housed in apartments that are clad in Alcoa Architectural Products' Reynobond ACM. The material, used on the facades of several buildings constructed for lodging, stands out due to some unique colors, such as Electric Orange and Brite Red, a key feature of the composite panel.
Neil Deppiesse, Operations Manager of Compass Cladding, a fabricator and installer with over 30 years of field experience in Vancouver, assisted local architects in selecting Reynobond ACM to achieve the color palette and geometric forms required for the Olympic Village project.
"Reynobond material offered the architects the widest range of colors, and the best paint finish warranties available to the market. Reynobond material is ideally suited for the coastal environment of Vancouver B.C.," Mr. Deppiesse said.
Alcoa's Reynobond ACM is exceptionally flat, formable, corrosion-resistant and surprisingly light - weighing 3.4 times less than steel and 1.6 times less than pure aluminum. It is also available in a range of colors. The material integrates easily with curtain wall, creating a seamless look for façades. And its extreme formability makes it ideal for curves and unique design accents.
Following the Olympics, the Village will be converted into a model sustainable community for recreational use, new housing and commercial space.