VMZinc Welcomes Architects To New “Lounge” at the 2012 AIA Convention
May 7, 2012 (Washington, DC) – VMZINC®, the brand name of the architectural zinc manufactured by Umicore Building Products USA (UBP), will welcome architects to its new booth-turned-lounge this year during the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) 2012 National Convention & Design Exposition.
The convention and expo will be held May 17-19 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.
VMZINC has redesigned its former Booth #329 to feel more like a lounge, “where architects and other convention attendees can come to relax, refuel, and talk about zinc with our territory managers,” said Chandra Hester, marketing assistant for UBP.
Underscoring the focus on architecture, VMZINC will present interviews with select architects on large LCD TVs in the booth, along with a slideshow of projects that feature VMZINC applications.
The booth will also feature a new VMZINC Composite Material mock-up, produced by NOW Specialties, Inc., of Texas, whose sales team will be on hand to answer any questions.
And on Friday, May 18, VMZINC will host a happy hour at the Convention Center in Room 158 B from 4-7 p.m.
The theme for this year’s AIA National Convention & Expo is Design Connects.
” ‘Design Connects’ celebrates the uniqueness of design as the synthesis of theory and practice, the relationship of the built and natural environments, and the aspiration of architecture to serve the broader goals of humanity,” said James H. Determan, AIA, chair of the National Convention Advisory Committee.
Among the many points the VMZINC representatives will make in their booth during the convention is architectural zinc’s connection to environmental stewardship, a key issue among today’s architects.
“Zinc is a very natural and significant mineral that is prevalent throughout the world,” notes Dan Nicely, Associate AIA and VMZINC’s director of market development. “It takes very little energy to manufacture zinc, the life span of zinc cladding is 80 to 100 years, it is virtually maintenance free, and it is completely recyclable, from construction scrap to the end of its useful life.”
Nicely said he hopes architects attending the convention will visit Booth 329 often, not only to learn about architectural zinc and its applications but also to relax and regroup before moving on to other events in the Convention Center.
For more information on the 2012 AIA Convention & Expo, go to www.aia.org and click on “Conferences & Events.”
For more information on VMZINC, visit www.vmzinc-us.com.
VMZinc Launches Two New Facebook Pages To Increase The Conversation
VMZinc Launches Two New Facebook Pages To Increase The Conversation
And invites visitors to vote for their favorite projects for a special ArchiZinc Trophee
May 1, 2012 (Raleigh, NC) — Embracing the power of social media, VMZINC®, the recognized brand of architectural zinc manufactured by Umicore Building Products USA, has launched two new Facebook pages to complement its original Facebook page: “VMZINCresidential” and “VM Zinc for Architecture”.
According to Dan Nicely, an associate member of the AIA and UBP’s Director of Market Development, the “VMZINCresidential” page will specifically address applications and ideas around using architectural zinc on single-family and multi-family housing. It will also allow residential architects and homeowners to discuss their decisions to use VMZINC architectural zinc on roofs, walls and other applications.
Nicely said the global corporation hopes architects will visit the “VM Zinc for Architecture” page to discover the broad range of surface aspects available from VMZINC and to share their experiences with using architectural zinc on a variety of projects types and styles, from modern structures to historic restoration.
To launch “VM ZINC for Architecture,” VMZINC is also encouraging visitors to vote for their favorite project in VMZINC’s gallery of photos. The winning projects will receive the “Fans’ Special ArchiZinc Trophee.”
Open to architects throughout the world, the ArchiZinc Trophee competition awards prizes in four building categories: Individual Housing, Collective Housing, Public Buildings and Commercial Buildings. The purpose of this bi-annual competition is not only to reward the most attractive projects for the quality of their architecture and their integration into the environment, but also to highlight zinc through appropriate new applications.
Nicely said VMZINC is keenly aware that Facebook offers a platform for promoting its products and services, for facilitating direct customer engagement and two-way communication, and for getting its messages to go “viral” around the Internet.
“We hope architects, contractors, installers, business and homeowners who specify VMZINC will get in on the conversation and let us hear from them on one of our three Facebook pages,” he said.
For more information on Umicore Building Products and VMZINC, visit www.vmzinc-us.com.
“Focus On Zinc” Spotlights Residential Applications Around The Globe
The 12th edition of VMZinc’s international magazine is now available.
April 17, 2012 (Raleigh, NC) – VMZINC® has published the twelfth edition of “Focus On Zinc,” its international architecture magazine that showcases examples of zinc wall and roof applications around the globe, including modern, innovative private homes in the United States, Australia, Belgium, Poland, and Denmark.
VMZINC is the brand name for the architectural zinc manufactured by Umicore BuildingProducts USA.
“A brief journey through the pages of this issue of ‘Focus on Zinc’ confirms a trend that has been established over a number of years,” notes Senior Vice President Pierre Van de Bruaene in the magazine’s introduction: “Applications of our material to the facades of buildings are becoming increasingly predominant.”
Building types featured in this edition range from large cultural arts centers and educational facilities to office buildings, private homes, and even Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. The latter, designed by Jag/RoTo Architecture, features exterior walls of VMZ Flatlock panels in red PIGMENTO®.
The private home in Cincinnati that’s featured in this edition demonstrates architect Jose Garcia’s style of combining raw materials with experimental installation and modern architectural expression. He specified QUARTZ-ZINC® and ANTHRA-ZINC® in Dri-Design cassettes for the exterior, which define the house’s volumes and provides the homeowner with a surface cladding that requires little to no maintenance.
The design of a private home in Silkeborg, Denmark, was inspired by Japanese Origami and expressed through the use of VMZ standing seam panels in ANTHRA-ZINC for the roof. The façade is composed of black-stained wood strips. This atypical contemporary house was designed by architects 3xN & M2.
The most ambitious project in this edition, however, is an office building in France that uses VMZ standing seam and flatlock panels in QUARTZ-ZINC to contribute to architect Cabinet Jourda’s zero-energy-use target. Chosen for its durability and recyclability, VMZINC is a key element of this building sustainability.
“Focus On Zinc” is published in Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese and Spanish. To request a copy call VMZINC’s USA headquarters at 919.874.7173 or email a request to: Info@vmzinc-us.com.
Umicore Building Products Reorganizes
Umicore Building Products, the manufacturer of VMZINC® architectural zinc, announces the reorganization of the corporation’s building products division subsidiaries under the common leadership of Commercial Director Frank Martinelli of Paris, France, who, in turn, reports to Senior Vice President Pierre Van de Bruaene, also of Paris, France.
Norbert Schneider, President of Umicore Building Products USA, will assume the responsibility of General Manager of Asia Pacific as well as the Americas. The subsidiaries in China, Japan, India, and Australia also will now report to him.
As support for Schneider, Umicore has appointed Michel Le Donge as Marketing Manager for the region. Schneider will continue to work out of the Raleigh, North Carolina, office, while Le Donge remains based in Paris.
“This reorganization enables us to service our markets even better, making us an even nimbler and more flexible organization,” said Senior Vice President Pierre Van de Bruaene, “It will allow us to continue building our leadership position through innovation and customer focus for the benefit of our customers and shareholders worldwide.”
“Norbert and Michel have extensive experience in building teams and markets,” said Commercial Director Franck Martinelli. “They will not just continue, they will expedite our growth in Asia, Australia, and the Americas through their drive and leadership.”
Norbert Schneider sees this reorganization as “a great challenge and a great honor. There are certainly differences between the individual markets, but I am sure there is more that unites us then what makes us different. I will do my best to provide the leadership necessary for the company and the team members to grow.”
Schneider, who has been President of UBP US for the past 12 years, added, “I am sure that the lessons I have learned over the past 12 years will pay dividends in this new assignment. I am happy that I have a strong leadership team with dedicated and talented individuals, such as our directors Laurent Heindryckx and Daniel Nicely here at UBP US, who allow me to delegate more of the operational and tactical work to them while at the same time taking on this new challenge.”
Michel Le Donge also expressed his excitement over the opportunity “to share my experiences in the Far East now with my colleagues in the additional markets. We not only have a huge amount of things to learn from each other, but VMZINC also has more innovative products and systems to launch in the near future and I look forward to bringing those to the markets.”
For more information on Umicore Building Products and VMZINC, visit www.vmzinc.com.
About VMZINC:
VMZINC® is the brand name of rolled zinc products manufactured and sold by the Umicore Group. VMZINC is available in a large variety or products covering the exterior building envelope, rainwater goods, ornamentals, and building interiors. For more information visit www.vmzinc-us.com or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
About Umicore Group:
Umicore, originating from Belgian, is a world leader in metals and sophisticated materials. It works in fields where its expertise in materials sciences, chemistry and metallurgy can and does make a difference for products used in everyday life or cutting-edge industrial processes. Segments are: Recycling, Energy Materials, Catalysis, and Performance Materials. For more information visit www.umicore.com.
New Video Highlights Zinc and Silver Wall in Dallas Arts District
The Annette Strauss Artist Square stage house glistens with metal cladding.
VMZINC® recently completed a new video on the Annette Strauss Artist Square in the Dallas Arts District. The video spotlights the dramatic zinc and silver paneled wall on the facility’s stage house.
Artist Square is named in honor of the city’s former mayor and arts champion, Annette Strauss.
Designed by Good Fulton & Farrell Architects of Dallas, Texas, Artist Square’s stage house features VMZINC’s four millimeter QUARTZ-ZINC® and Mitsubishi Chemical’s four millimeter silver metallic panels, all cut in the same diamond shape to form a Harlequin pattern.
The camera pans around and through the facility, showing the open-air ambience, then focuses on the glistening metal wall.
Thom Powell, AIA, Director of Sustainable Design at Good Fulton & Farrell notes that his firm wanted to create a facility with the same sense of openness as the original Artist Square, which was just an open space for community gatherings. He also comments on the changing visual nature of the stage house’s walls:
“The zinc panels next to the silver metal give the illusion of glistening leaves.”
VMZINC’s Director of Market Development, Dan Nicely, adds, “The unique thing about Artists Square is that they’re using zinc with another composite material…It’s really a nice play and a nice dichotomy of materials that’s working together to create interest on that wall.”
Since the facility was intended to be environmentally sustainable, Nicely also notes that zinc is a very “green” cladding material since the run-off is non-bioavailable and clear so it won’t affect other materials. It also has a life span of 80 to 100 years.
Sam Latona, Preconstruction Services Manager for the contractor, Turner Construction Company of Dallas, notes that the wall’s rain screen construction guarantees that it “will last the life of the facility without any repair cost.”
The Dallas Arts District includes 13 facilities and organizations, brought together largely through Annette Strauss’ tireless efforts when she served as mayor from 1987-1991. Strauss succumbed to brain cancer shortly after the facility was named in her honor. In its eulogy, the Dallas Morning News stressed her “enduring passion for both the arts and the city.”
VMZINC is the brand name for Umicore Building Products’ architectural zinc. NOW Specialties Inc. served as panel fabricator and installer for metal wall.
The video was created by 214 Media of Dallas with Fred Nolan of NOW Specialties as executive producer. To view the entire video on YouTube, go to http://bit.ly/xgEZo5.
About VMZINC and Umicore Building Products:
VMZINC is a leading specialist in innovative zinc solutions for building envelopes and the international brand name of rolled zinc products manufactured and sold by the Building Products Unit of the Umicore Group, which specializes in materials technology. Umicore is a world-leading producer of architectural zinc. For over 160 years, Umicore has been providing innovative solutions for building owners, architects and contractors. Umicore has offices and representatives all over the world. In the United States, Umicore Building Products USA, Inc., is based in Raleigh, NC. For additional information, visit www.vmzinc-us.com and find the company on Facebook.
VMZinc Joins Forces With Centria To Introduce New Zinc Panels
Industry leader chooses Umicore/VMZinc as a partner for zinc products.
CENTRIA, an industry leader in the design, development and manufacture of architectural metal wall and roof systems, recently announced the addition of VMZINC® architectural zinc to use as a material substrate in its Profile Series Concept Series® and IW Series Panels.
“There is a growing industry trend toward natural metals, like zinc, because of their sustainability and long life-span,” said Tom Zombek, product manager, CENTRIA. “By adding a zinc substrate option to our Concept and IW Series panels, we are not only providing architects with more choices within these already versatile product lines, but creating a new option that complements our commitment to creating products that offer outstanding aesthetics, performance and sustainability.”
Norbert Schneider, president of Umicore Building Products USA, which sells the VMZINC manufactured by the global Umicore Group, expressed his pleasure about the partnership:
“We consider CENTRIA one of the best established brands in the segment of the metalic building envelope and it is a household name in architectural offices around the country,” he said. “That means architects will hear about VMZINC from a new and additional source.”
The new zinc panels will be available in a 1mm (.039 inches) thickness with a smooth, non-embossed finish. The panels will be available in five pre-weathered zinc colors from VMZINC, including Quart-Zinc® – Grey, Anthra-Zinc® – Black and Pigmento® – Red, Blue and Green.
For more information about zinc panels, visit CENTRIA.com.
For more information on VMZINC, visit www.vmzinc-us.com.
About VMZINC and Umicore Building Products:
VMZINC is a leading specialist in innovative zinc solutions for building envelopes and the international brand name of rolled zinc products manufactured and sold by the Building Products Unit of the Umicore Group, which specializes in materials technology. Umicore is a world-leading producer of architectural zinc. For over 160 years, Umicore has been providing innovative solutions for building owners, architects and contractors. Umicore has offices and representatives all over the world. In the United States, Umicore Building Products USA, Inc., is based in Raleigh, NC. For additional information, visit www.vmzinc-us.com.
VMZinc Upgrades Its Websites Around The Globe
February 24, 2012 (Raleigh, NC) – VMZinc®, Umicore Building Products’ brand for architectural zinc, has revamped its websites around the globe to give all of them the same look, the same user-friendly and uniform navigation capabilities, and to include more extensive information.
According to Chandra Hester, marketing director for Umicore Building Products USA, the new VMZinc sites “make it easier for a customer in France or Shanghai to navigate through the American website, and the same for someone in Canada to use the French website.”
This ease of navigation is important, she said, because not every country carries the same product range. This allows customers to more easily order VMZinc products from another country.
“The new sites are more user-friendly with a cleaner look,” Hester said, “making it easier to download details, find important information to answer any zinc questions, and to specify jobs within a few clicks.”
In addition, the new homepage for each country now has much more information, making it easier to access information in fewer clicks.
“And we have our social media links — Facebook, Twitter, the ZINCsense blog, and our new YouTube channel — displayed throughout the entire website,” Hester pointed out.
Also on the right hand side of the homepages, potential customers will find useful information pertaining to each of VMZinc’s systems, including project photos, installation guides, specification, details, and magazines featuring the product in award-winning projects.
The text throughout the site has also been carefully edited to be as concise and easily understood as possible.
To see the improved VMZinc websites, go to www.vmzinc.com, click on “VMZinc worldwide,” then click on the country.
About Umicore Building Products USA, Inc.
Umicore is a world-leading producer of architectural zinc. For over 160 years Umicore has been providing innovative solutions for building owners, architects, and contractors. Umicore has offices and representatives all over the world. In the United States, Umicore Building Products USA, Inc., is based in Raleigh, NC. For additional information, visit www.vmzinc-us.com.
Umicore Ranks In Top 10 Of The World’s Most Sustainable Corporations
Based on key performance indicators, such as innovation, diversity, and eco-friendly productivity.
January 26, 2012 (Raleigh, NC) — Umicore, a global materials technology group and the parent company of Umicore BuildingProducts USA in Raleigh, NC, has been included once again in the top 10 of the world’s most sustainable companies.
Corporate Knights, an independent magazine focused on promoting sustainable development, published the rankings this week.
The “Global 100 Most Sustainable Companies” ranking is based on key performance indicators such as innovation, diversity, and productivity related to a set of environmental factors. Ranked eighth out of 100, Umicore was praised for the significant role the company plays in the metal recycling chain and the development of materials for clean energy applications.
This accolade follows Umicore’s recent inclusion in the innovative Living Planet Green Tech Index launched by WWF, the Living Planet Fund Management Company, and Chevreux.
Umicore is also a long-standing component of the FTSE4Good index, which measures performance of companies that meet globally recognized corporate responsibility standards.
“The inclusion of Umicore in these rankings and indices is a recognition that our strategy and business philosophy do meaningfully address the priorities of society today,” said Umicore CEO Marc Grynberg. “We have a strong focus on products and services that provide environmental benefits, such as recycling, automotive catalysts, and materials for rechargeable batteries. This is complemented by ambitious objectives to further improve our environmental and social performance.”
“It is great to be involved with a company that takes a strong stance on sustainability, as well as representing an architectural product that contributes to that equation,” said Daniel Nicely, market development director for Umicore Building Products USA, the manufacturer of VMZINC® architectural zinc.
For more information on Umicore’s sustainability strategies and practices, visit www.umicore.com/sustainability.
For more information on Umicore Building Products, visit www.vmzinc-us.com.
About Umicore:
Umicore is a global materials technology group. It focuses on application areas where its expertise in materials science, chemistry and metallurgy makes a real difference. Its activities are centered on four business areas: Catalysis, Energy Materials, Performance Materials, and Recycling. Each business area is divided into market-focused business units offering materials and solutions that are at the cutting edge of new technological developments and essential to everyday life. For more information: www.umicore.com
About Umicore Building Products USA:
Umicore is a world-leading producer of VMZINC® architectural zinc. For over 160 years, Umicore has been providing innovative solutions for building owners, architects, and contractors. Umicore has offices and representatives all over the world. In the United States, Umicore Building Products USA, Inc., is based in Raleigh, North Carolina. For additional information: www.vmzinc-us.com.
VMZinc’s Corrugated Sheets Now Available!
