The EXP Building at Northeastern University, Boston, USA, is wrapped in a dramatic stainless facade that isn’t just for looks
Boston’s Northeastern University briefed local architect studio, Payette, to design and build an expressive structure that would form part of its new modern flexible research space. Situated on a former brownfield site, the building also had to contribute to the area’s increasingly vibrant urban landscape.
The result is the striking EXP Building. Completed in 2023, the team at Payette designed it to enable a diverse network of innovators to connect and collaborate and it works brilliantly from the inside out. Its organic pinwheel design includes research and classroom ‘neighbourhoods’ with each area defined by shared community spaces that radiate out from the core.
The stainless steel facade creates a solar veil
The eight-storey, 357,000 square-foot building is topped with a planted public rooftop sky garden that provides fantastic views of Downtown Boston. And, not only is it great to look out from, the EXP Building is equally impressive to look towards. Its curved facade is covered with rows of horizontally tapered, stainless-steel bands that dramatically reflect light and colour. These also serve to shade and cool the interior of the building by creating what’s been called a ‘solar veil’ and this significantly reduces the building’s energy consumption. The use of stainless steel also reportedly led to an embodied carbon reduction of almost one million tonnes, when compared to the alternative aluminium option.
EXP Building’s stainless steel facade acts as a solar veil. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University
Stainless steel is particularly well-suited to building facades because it has a high load-bearing capacity, it has a strength-to-weight ratio that enables it to be used in large spans and it can be easily moulded and curved into unusual shapes for added interest. Plus, should a building built with stainless steel ever reach the end of its use and need to be knocked down in the future, its stainless steel components can be easily recycled and reused.
Expect to be wowed by more stainless steel facades as the material is increasingly used to front buildings across the world.