Grace Farms

Integrating architecture with the landscape

Grace Farms is a complex construction of glass, concrete, steel and wood which combine to stunning effect and create a peaceful, natural mood. However, arguably its most important feature is the ribbon-like roof which gives the building its nickname – The River.

The polished aluminium roofing panels were anodised with a bespoke finish to give the structure an organic form that fits perfectly with the building’s setting in a beautiful 80-acre nature reserve of meadows, woods, wetlands and ponds. It was designed by SANAA architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa and takes inspiration from their previous work on London’s Serpentine Gallery Pavilion in 2010.

It is a clever way of integrating architecture with the landscape and shows the versatility of anodised aluminium. No matter what colour, texture or pattern you need, it can be applied to aluminium through the anodising process.

“Our goal with The River is to make the architecture become part of the landscape. We hope that those who are on the property will have a greater enjoyment of the beautiful environment and changing seasons through the spaces and experience created by The River.”

— Sharon Prince, Grace Farms Foundation President.

Anodising custom architectural elements to stunning effect

The roof features dual curvatures and other unusual shapes. These curves are subtle, rather than dramatic, and required a lightweight system to achieve the required shapes without the need to resort to a completely custom specification.

Aluminium was chosen as a cost-effective, light solution. A mix of standard aluminium plates and custom pieces were created to satisfy the design criteria. For example, custom aluminium extrusions were used to form a channel system between the aluminium skins. Within this channel, floating aluminium plates provided a smooth visual transition between the panels.

The panels along the roof edges were also cut at custom angles to create a contour. This allowed the aluminium roof panels to overhang the building and create a unique aesthetic effect. The spacing between the panels is visible against the sky above and these voids also cast shadows on the building that act almost like a sundial.

In all cases, the United Anodisers team were able to guarantee a consistent, even finish on all sections of the roof, even those cut at unusual angles or to unique designs. Our process guarantees aesthetic uniformity in all cases, and helps ensure designers and fabricators can be flexible without sacrificing aesthetics or other durability benefits on their project.

Victoria Watts, Sales Director at United Anodisers, said: “Grace Farms is one of our favourite projects. It is a beautiful building in a unique location that demanded something special. Working closely with the architects, we were able to assist in creating a roof which is more than just a roof. It’s a reflection of the client’s philosophy and the natural surroundings. It was also a technical challenge and we’re very proud of how our team delivered an outstanding end result.”

Want to learn more about what you can achieve with an anodised aluminium façade finish? See our other projects here and contact the team today. 

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