Russian aluminium solutions for the construction sector

The construction industry is one of the main consumers of aluminium in the Russian market – 30% of the total consumption in the country or 220,000 – 230,000 tonnes annually.

Russia is one of the largest producers of aluminium - 4 million tonnes of this metal are produced annually in the country

In Russia, aluminium solutions are used both in constructing modern buildings and infrastructure facilities and in projects aimed at preserving architectural monuments and historical heritage. The interest in aluminium is explained by its unique properties. They include low specific gravity, high corrosion resistance and durability: for example, the service life of a bridge with aluminium structures exceeds 70 years. At the same time, aluminium bridge structures mustn't require constant anti-corrosion treatment, unlike steel ones. Recently, with the growing attention to sustainable development – environment and conservation of climate, in particular, with the introduction of the principles of 'green' construction, the possibility of aluminium processing has become of great importance. About 80% of the world's aluminium continues to be used after processing. This is an informed choice of architects, developers and construction companies in favour of environmental materials.

Properties of structures made of aluminium alloys:

• Energy efficiency
• Absence of toxic impurities in the composition of materials
• No harmful emissions during combustion
• Bacteriological purity of the surface
• Fully recyclable and reusable
• Use of technologies, eliminating carbon dioxide emissions into the air, for the production of structural materials

Aluminium solutions are used not only for the construction of new buildings but also for the restructuring of symbolic historical sites. One of the most remarkable examples is the reconstruction of the Polytechnic Museum in Moscow – one of the world's oldest scientific and technical museums (it was built from 1872 to 1907). For the first time in Russia, when constructing the translucent roof structure of such a large complex of public buildings, the area of which exceeds 3,500 square metres, aluminium structures were used instead of steel ones! The translucent aluminium roof looks modern and beautiful. Besides, it is functional.

The Polytechnic Museum's roof can be used to place large objects of the exposition under it, for example, to hang model airplanes or satellites under the dome.

Aluminium solutions are also used to construct public amenities: easily erected hospitals and superstructures for kindergartens and schools. 

Advantages of aluminium modular buildings:

• Reusable for 25 years.
• Reduction of the scope of works at the construction site down to 50%.
• High return value in the event of recycling.

Aluminium solutions in construction:

• Large-span coverings (coverings for sports facilities, public and industrial buildings with large unsupported spans of 35 to 110 metres)
• Self-supporting structural shells or translucent structures
• Prefabricated modular buildings
• Systems of ventilated facades
• Windows, stained-glass artworks and entrance lobbies
• Modular glazing systems
• Blocks for air conditioning units
• Three-layer sandwich panels
• Seam roofing
• Small-scale architectural structures and lighting poles

Advantages of translucent structures:

• The structures are self-supporting and do not require a supporting steel frame made of steel, owing to which the specific amount of metal is reduced, the facility's aesthetic appeal is improved, and the light transmission is increased.

• The unique nodal solution for joints of sections and the use of durable aluminium alloy enable translucent spatial structures of any shape and size.

• Such structures are used to construct passenger terminals of airports, shopping centres, technological clusters, recreation and entertainment parks, exhibition pavilions, hypermarkets, and office buildings.

One of the new areas of using aluminium is the construction of bridges made of aluminium alloys to ensure optimum metal consumption and commercial efficiency of structures, with less weight compared to similar structures made of steel. Step by step, aluminium is the winning ground in the construction of artificial structures as well as light railway pedestrian crossings. Association member companies have already mastered technologies of aluminium alloys bridge elements production from orthotropic decks and supporting structures to exterior finish. Experts have accumulated monitoring data on bridge service in various weather conditions, which proves their successful operation. Sustainability is another important advantage - when the life cycle of a bridge expires, aluminium structures can be fully recycled.

Bridges made of aluminium alloys have great prospects because domestic manufacturers of aluminium structures are offering new efficient solutions now. Today, 15 bridges with aluminium structures are in operation in Russia. The first aluminium bridge in the country was built in St. Petersburg in 1969, more than half a century ago. The first two aluminium bridges in modern-day Russia were built in 2017.

Another new area is the aluminium finishing of metro stations. The first use of aluminium finishing in the Moscow Metro dates back to 1972 – at the Oktyabrskoye Pole station (1972), anodised aluminium was used for lining columns. The track walls were lined with bronze anodised aluminium at the Shchukinskaya station, which was opened three years later. At the Medvedkovo station of the Riga Radius (1978), metal pyramids, stamped from aluminium and anodised to match the colour of light bronze, symbolise ice blocks.

However, aluminium came into common use about a decade ago, when entire surfaces were made of large-sized panels. At the end of the 2000s, technologies made it possible to produce large-format products, then structural glazing based on aluminium sections appeared.

Aluminium has a number of key advantages over other lining materials. The low weight of prefabricated parts makes it possible to simplify the construction of metro facilities and move prefabricated structures to the construction site. The increased corrosion resistance of aluminium products makes it possible to operate construction facilities in aggressive environments, e.g. near groundwater and in constant mud and slush. Stained-glass artworks, honeycomb panels and patterned panels, protective hoods, sun shields, ceiling-mounted vertical rack panels – aluminium is present in almost all elements of the stations.

The most popular aluminium solutions in the modern metro are large-format stained-glass artworks and honeycomb panels, which make the entire structure monumental. Such panels keep a flat surface; at the same time, they can be used to make camber surfaces in the form of umbrellas. In decorating ceilings, systems made of aluminium sheets and stamped products are popular: 3D punched panels and open-grid ceilings.

Since the establishment of the Aluminium Association in 2015 and with its full support, the Moscow Metro already has more than 20 stations with aluminium solutions in interiors and entrance lobbies. Perforated panels, multicoloured patterns, glassy, glossy and matte surfaces, and straight and curved shapes are all aluminium.