New & Noteworthy at the 2022 AIA Conference on Architecture
Trends told through Color, Material and Finish at the AIA Conference on Architecture in Chicago
The AIA Conference on Architecture returned to Chicago after a 3-year hiatus, the last conference being in 2019. There was a buzz in the air as the 15,000 attendees joined seminars, CEUs and architectural tours – and explored new products on the show floor.
There is no better place to track what’s trending in modern building facades than the expo floor, where 500 exhibitors showed off their new and noteworthy products. Following is our recap of the colors, materials and finishes that caught our attention.
Color
The color palette is beginning to warm and become invigorated with new naturals. Warm gray unicolors are being joined by terra cotta, sand and nature’s green - with many hues coming straight from masonry. The exterior color palette is naturalizing much in the same way that interior colors have been changing with new biophilic focused environments.
To achieve this look using Trespa® Meteon® Panels, check out Stone Beige, Mid Beige and Stone Gray in the Uni Colors collection for warm gray options. Ochre, Sand, Rusty Red and Sienna Brown are great hues to mimic natural masonry. And the new Olive Green in the Lumen series captures the essence of growing nature for a complementary green to this warm palette.
Metal
Of interest were new metal effects introduced for exterior. Metals (and metal coatings) that were designed to mimic age or metal mineralization are techniques that add warmth and history to a building.
There are many aged metal options in the Trespa® Meteon® Naturals collection that can give a sense of aged metals to a new façade. Rusted Brown, Forged Alloy, Corroded Green and Sintered Alloy give a variety of corroded metal options.
For a new metal appearance, look no further than the Trespa® Meteon® Metallics – a collection of ten metallic colors ranging from warm titanium and copper to cool aluminum and graphite.
Wood was celebrated at the Think Wood display where a variety of species were shown in their natural form, like Eastern White Pine, Ipe and Western Red Cedar.
Western Red Cedar and Tropical Ipe are new Trespa® introductions to both Trespa® Meteon® panels and Pura® NFC – and capture the beauty of natural wood.
Another beautiful example of natural wood was showcased with a shou sugi ban technique – where wood is charred to varying degrees, allowing the beautiful texture to emerge. Check out Pura® NFC by Trespa Slate Ebony woodgrain as a charred wood alternative.
EN/GB
