Stainless steel round column covers in Narita Airport. φ2250㎜×H10400㎜ panels are mirror polished, and partially etched.
Column covers are an essential part of a building functionally and aesthetically. While some projects opt for paint coated steel frames or concrete, especially with steel framed structure, reinforced concrete structure, or steel reinforced concrete structure, most columns are covered by claddings for design. Thus, most columns covers or claddings tend to be one of the most defining design elements within a building.
Metals tend to be chosen for their flexibility in design options, being durable, workable, and available in a variety of finishes. At Kikukawa, we combine our expertise in metalwork, craftsmanship and our engineering abilities, such as our 8m benders, FSW or other new technologies to provide design ideas, design assistance, and manufacturing in line with the projects’ QCD (quality, cost, and delivery). Our experience includes accommodations for projects with claddings over 6m in length or those with 3mm joint details.
Kikukawa provides comprehensive architectural metal construction solutions that are in a continuance of the designers’ visions.
| Main Features | ・Extra-long or extra-wide metal column covers accommodated ・Bespoke (custom) metal column covers accommodated ・Various metals and finishes accommodated ・Thin joint details accommodated ・Various shapes accommodated (including but not limited to round, square, ovals, cones or pyramids) ・Various sizes accommodated ・Various metal column parts available ・Small lot productions accommodated ・Bent-detail panels, cut-detail panels, extrusions (spandrels), or casts(dies) accommodated ・Other options, patterns or combinations are available upon request |
|---|---|
| Fabricator | ・8m bender, for metalworking extra-long panels ・FSW (Friction Stir Welding), for fabrications of extra-wide metal sheets |
| Applicable Materials | ・Aluminium ・Stainless steel ・Steel ・Bronze alloys ・Other metals |
| Categories | ・Custom designs accommodated We provide a comprehensive solution, from design to installation, to actualise the design intent |
| Maximum Workable Size | Material thickness: 1.5mm～6.0mm Maximum product size: 2000mm (W) x 8000mm (L) *Please consult us for any products over this size |
| Remarks | Limitations depend on the selected material and finishes. Please consult us prior to your selection for details. |
Bronze round column covers with casted bronze at the bottom at a religious facility. φ1800㎜×H18400㎜ panels are HL finished and sulfurized.
■Metal columns – Function and Advantages
Columns or column claddings installed at the entrance, lower level arcades, large lobbies or passages have a great impact on space design. It often acts as the face of a building, in its structure or as the facade greeting passerby.
Metal is considered to be a suitable material for columns given the diverse design options, as well as its functionality such as durability, strength, weather and fire resistance, and workability.
Accommodations of interior/exterior constructions or complex design details are smoother with metal in comparison to other materials. Metals’ workability allows for various forms and design options, from the standard squares, round, polygons, protruded or dented forms, ovals, cones, pyramids, and other free forms.
■Why Kikukawa?
Kikukawa provides column panels listed above, as well as comprehensive solutions to various metal column cladding needs. That is, from providing typical system drawings or designing installable details, and product accommodations of various metals and finishes to the bespoke metalworking services, and the installation know-how based on years of architectural metalwork construction services. Combined, Kikukawa provides high-quality metal construction services for a wide variety of projects including minimal joint details, decorative columns, and unique bespoke shaped products. Moreover, Kikukawa is able to provide extra large panels to actualise seamless design concepts. For instance, FSW (friction stir welding) allows the fabrication of metal sheets over that available in the market, or metalwork these sheets into panels with 8m benders.
To find out more about FSW (friction stir welding), click here
To find out more about 8m bender, click here
■Examples of Kikukawa’s metal columns and constructions
- ◇6m+ aluminium columns with minimal joint details
For Otemachi place, roughly 6500m3 and over 70 rows of round columns were fabricated with 3.0mm thick aluminium cut detail panels. Typical details are 1850mm diameter divided vertically in four, finished with a silver metallic baked coating to improve weather resistance for exterior use. Each round column cladding is roughly 1450mm wide, installed at 6mm joints.
To find out more about Otemachi place, click here
- ◇8m＋octagonal column
The stainless steel octagon column at Aga Khan Centre in London, U.K. is 920mm diagonal. Composed of eight 3.0mm thick, 352mm(W) and 8000mm(H) SUS316 panels, installed at 5mm joints and finished with Kikukawa’s silky blast finish.
To find out more about Kikukawa’s silky blast finish, click here
To find out more about Aga Khan Centre, click here
- ◇Dented aluminium columns
The dented aluminium column panels at Sumitomo Fudosan Tower is composed of 3.0mm thick cut-detail finished with a coarse metallic coating. At the entrance of the building is the two tallest columns that are 26.5m high, while the other six columns are 18m high. The typical column cladding detail is 1100mm (W) by 2050mm (H), with joints occurring between 3200mm and 3800mm high. For the two tallest columns, typical details are 1800mm (W) by 2300mm (W) with joints occurring around 4400mm high.
- ◇High-quality stainless steel round column covers
The 3 round columns at Avex building are composed of 3.0mm thick cut-detail aluminium, roughly 1500mm (diameter) and 9000mm in height. Typically, stainless steel panels are notorious for stud-marks appearing on the surface, however, Kikukawa utilized craftsmanship and know-how to ensure its invisibility.
- ◇Stainless steel decorative columns
Tokyo Station, Marunouchi Building is marked by 10m long interior stainless steel round columns that stretch to the ceiling. These 1150mm (diameter) columns are composed of various components. Split into 16parts vertically, 8 panels of 322mm (arc length) curved panels are interchangeably placed with 80mm R-curved extruded panels in low-rise sections, or 78mm R-curved dented panels in the high-rise sections. The decorative horizontal beams are fabricated by the lost-wax process, and the capitals are fabricated by aluminium cast.
To find out more about Tokyo Station, Marunouchi Building, click here
- ◇Bronze round column covers
The round column covers that line the interior and exterior of Rissho Kosei-kai, Kyoto, is covered by 2.0mm thick copper (CU100) finished with vibration (also known as VIB or PHL) and FURUMI (sulfurized) finish. The typical diameters of these claddings are 800~950mm, fixed with complex details given the various connections and joints with other parts.
To find out more about Rissho Kosei-kai, Kyoto, click here
- ◇Long stainless steel round column covers with 3mm joints
The round column covers of the pilotis at Toranomon Kotohira Tower, are 10500mm (H) and 2100mm (diameter). The 3mm joints are placed at 7500mm (H) and 3000mm (H), in line with the height of the entrance booth. The 3.0mm thick stainless steel panels are finished with vibration (also known as VIB or PHL) and clear coating to improve the weather resistance.
- ◇Minimizing joints with assembled round column covers
The pilotis of Pacific Century Place Marunouchi® is lined with 30400mm (H) by 3750mm (diameter), 5.0mm thick aluminium finished with matte anodization. To minimize the joints, two panels were assembled as units within the factory to make an extra-wide panel of 1963mm (W). By doing so, these column panels have six assembled panels with six 30mm joints, instead of 12 joints.
- ◇16m stainless steel round columns
The silky blasted stainless steel round columns of 826mm (diameter) by 16000mm (H) line the interior of a corporate headquarters of an IT firm. These columns are composed of two rows of 8000mm(H) panels, split vertically in three and installed with 3mm joints.
To find out more about Silky Blast finish, click here
- ◇Diamond-shaped mirror polished stainless steel columns
Mirror-polished diamond-shaped stainless steel column panels line the interior of a retail store. The sides of the diamonds are 1370mm by 567mm, and the claddings are fabricated with 4.0mm thick stainless steel with 2.0mm thick welded stainless steel tip. All joints are 3.0mm.
◇◇◇
Other examples of Kikukawa’s columns include mirror polish + etched round column covers, comb-shaped extruded aluminium round column covers, long plus-sign-shaped (+) columns, as shown in the photos. Kikukawa has the expertise to answer various types of metal column cover needs requested by the project.
■Please Consult Us
Please consult us for any projects with complex design or strict requirements. Kikukawa has the expertise, and know-how to answer these requests.
Requirements vary based on the material or the finish, therefore please consult us for more details. Please consult us for metal column claddings, facades or covers.
Bronze round column covers with casted bronze at the bottom at a religious facility. φ1800㎜×H18400㎜ panels are HL finished and sulfurized.
Aluminium extruded round column covers with metallic fluororesin baked coating. φ1250㎜×H4800㎜ with comb shaped protrusions at 20mm pitch.
Fukui Prefectural Library, '+' shaped stainless steel panels, 1050mm wide and 7400mm high. Fabricated in one-piece, PHL and clear coated.
Toranomon Kotohira Tower, pilotis round column covers. With 3mm joints vertically and diagonally. The joints are at 3000mm and7500mm high.