VMZinc/Umicore Building Products To Host “Modernism at Risk”
May 31, 2012 (Raleigh, NC) – VMZINC, the brand name for architectural zinc manufactured by Umicore Building Products USA will host a night of “Modernism at Risk:Modern Solutions for Saving Modern Landmarks,” an international architectural photography exhibit that will be on display in the new AIA NC Center for Architecture and Design in Raleigh. The company will host the exhibit’s closing day on Saturday, June 9, from 1-4 p.m.
Triangle Modernist Houses (TMH), the non-profit organization that archives, preserves and promotes modernist residential design, is bringing the exhibit to Raleigh, and has invited modernist architects and architectural vendors in the Triangle to participate by hosting individual nights that it is on display.
Umicore Building Products donated the PIGMENTO Red VMZINC used on the AIA NC Center forArchitecture and Design – a donation worth $80,000.
Dan Nicely, Assoc. AIA and director of market development for VMZINC, noted why he felt it was important for his company to show support for this exhibition:
“Architecture is a cultural and civil event. At any stage of the life cycle, it deserves awareness and attention that surpasses the superficial. We are honored to show our support for Triangle Modernist Houses, and for the cause, and the education, behind this important event.”
A project of the World Monuments Fund, “Modernism at Risk” consists of 27 large-scale photographs, by noted photographer Andrew Moore, representing five case studies that explore the role designers play in preserving Modern landmarks. Two points central to the exhibit are: (1) engaging a larger public to care about modern buildings, and (2) demonstrating that these buildings can continue to be economically and functionally viable.
Exclusively for this exhibit, North Carolina State University is allowing TMH to display six architectural models rarely, if ever, seen by the public.
Tickets to “Modernism at Risk’s” on June 9 are $3.95 in advance and $5 at the door. Since the exhibit is being held in the new AIA NC headquarters facility, AIA members in good standing will be admitted free. For more information and to reserve tickets, go to http://www.trianglemodernisthouses.com/atrisk.htm.
The AIA Center for Architecture and Design is located at 14 East Peace Street in downtown Raleigh. For more information and directions, go to www.cfadnc.org.
For more information on VMZINC and Umicore Building Products, visit www.vmzinc-us.com.
About VMZINC / Umicore:
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 Recognized As One of Europe’s Most Eco-Innovative Companies
May 29, 2012 (Brussels) — Umicore was recognized as one of Europe’s most eco-innovative companies during the European Business Awards for the Environment (EBAE) event, which took place in Brussels during Green Week 2012. Umicore won first place in the Process Category for its rechargeable battery recycling technology.
Umicore’s process permits the recycling of valuable elements, such as cobalt, nickel, copper, and rare earth elements from spent rechargeable batteries and other waste streams, in an environmentally sound way. An industrial-scale pilot plant has been operational in Hoboken, Belgium, since September 2011.
The pilot plant has an initial annual capacity equivalent to some 150,000 (hybrid) electric vehicle batteries or 250 million mobile phone batteries. This market is anticipated to gain momentum, driven by a combination of intensifying recycling legislation, a continuously growing portable electronics market, and an increasing share of hybrid and electric vehicles on the roads.
Umicore’s recycling process uses its patented Ultra High Temperature (UHT) smelting technology. This creates a cost-efficient and environmentally sound battery recycling process with the highest recovery rates and with minimal waste. The facility will enable Umicore to offer a range of new recycling services, including a closed materials loop for battery producers. In addition, the technology will permit Umicore to test its suitability for recycling other new streams of materials.
The jury’s view: “In line with the Raw Materials Initiative and Batteries Directive, this project facilitates the recycling of all types of batteries together, without mechanical disassembling, thereby avoiding the release of dusts and organics into the atmosphere.”
Sybolt Brouwer, head of Umicore Battery Recycling, said: “I’m very proud that we received one of the prestigious European Business Awards for the Environment. This is a recognition of Umicore’s sustainable business strategy and our contribution on an environmental, societal, and economic level.”
About the EBAE:
The European Business Awards for the Environment are designed to recognize and promote organizations that make an outstanding contribution to sustainable development. The awards highlight policies, practices, processes, and products from all sectors of business in the European Union that help to achieve “economic and social development without detriment to the environment and natural resources upon the quality of which continued human activity and further development depend.” Following a two-day jury meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, the nominees for the European Business Awards for the Environment were announced on 19 March 2012. From a total of 156 entries, 14 companies were nominated across the five award categories. This year’s nominees come from nine EU Member States – Belgium, France, Germany, Spain, Austria, Portugal, Slovakia, Finland and the United Kingdom. For more information: http://www.businessawardseurope.com/
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.
