{"id":5703,"date":"2019-03-05T18:24:32","date_gmt":"2019-03-05T18:24:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/?p=5703"},"modified":"2025-09-10T18:40:17","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T18:40:17","slug":"apartment-residents-live-in-full-color-with-gleaming-alucobond-spectra-color-shifting-cladding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/apartment-residents-live-in-full-color-with-gleaming-alucobond-spectra-color-shifting-cladding\/","title":{"rendered":"Apartment Residents Live In Full Color With Gleaming ALUCOBOND\u00ae Spectra Color-Shifting Cladding"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Marketing materials for the Exo apartments<\/a> \u2013 which feature a gleaming contemporary fa\u00e7ade \u2013 encourage residents to \u201clive in full color\u201d in this 457-unit multi-family residential community that opened in July 2018. Located in Reston, Va., Exo residents live less than 25 miles from Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Highlights<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\u2022 \u201cIt was Custom Walls & Windows\u2019 suggestion to clad the building with ALUCOBOND\u00ae\u00ae <\/sup>Spectra panels,\u201d said Rosen. \u201cThe thought was: If the glass changes colors, why not use metal panels that change colors?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 The project features 150,000 square feet of 4mm ALUCOBOND\u00ae\u00ae<\/sup> PLUS in the Spectra Ocean color-shifting finishing system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Custom Walls & Windows designed a three-piece panel system with the glass and ALUCOBOND\u00ae\u00ae<\/sup> for easier installation, according to Bennefield, who said special rigs were required for installers to move in and out of the balconies scattered on the fa\u00e7ade.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Project:<\/strong> Exo Apartments

Location:<\/strong> Reston, VA

ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS:<\/strong> Spectra Ocean

Architect: <\/strong>R2L: Architects, PLLC

General Contractor:<\/strong> John Moriarty & Associates of Virginia, LLC

Fabricator\/Installer:<\/strong> Custom Walls & Windows, Inc.

Photography:<\/strong> \u00a9 Mark Kempf <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The Project<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Consisting of two identical 16-floor towers connected with a single-story reception-area link building, the 530,000-square foot Exo is clad in ALUCOBOND\u00ae\u00ae <\/sup>PLUS aluminum composite material in the Spectra Ocean color-shifting finish by 3A Composites USA<\/a>. The ALUCOBOND\u00ae\u00ae <\/sup>Spectra was selected as a complementary building material to the Exo\u2019s color-changing smart glass technology that adjusts window tint to allow optimal natural light in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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R2L: Architects, PLLC<\/a>, of Washington, D.C., was tasked with designing Exo for Greystar<\/a> as the first multi-family residential community in the United States to feature View Dynamic Glass<\/a> by View, Inc., of Milpitas, Calif.

\u201cOur design was driven by smart glass technology,\u201d said Sacha Rosen, AIA, principal, R2L: Architects. \u201cThis was to be a world demonstration project, serving as the first all-residential building using View Dynamic Glass. Incorporating smart glass technology required an extensive design process.\u201d

The pre-glazed windows utilize electrochromic technology, which requires that wiring be directed to each window for electrical control. (The windows are powered by a photo array on the building\u2019s roof.)
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Apartment residents can control the windows in their apartment through an app that lets in natural light while reducing glare, lowering energy costs and eliminating the need for shades or curtains. Apartment managers also have access to an overall building control for the windows.

To aid in this intricate window design, Custom Walls & Windows, Inc.<\/a>, of Jessup, Md., began work with general contractor John Moriarty & Associates of Virginia, LLC<\/a>, based in Arlington, Va., and R2L: Architects in early 2017.

\u201cIt was Custom Walls & Windows\u2019 suggestion to clad the building with ALUCOBOND\u00ae\u00ae <\/sup>Spectra panels,\u201d said Rosen. \u201cThe thought was: If the glass changes colors, why not use metal panels that change colors?\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The project features 150,000 square feet of 4mm ALUCOBOND\u00ae\u00ae<\/sup>\nPLUS in the Spectra Ocean color-shifting finishing system. ALUCOBOND\u00ae\u00ae<\/sup>\nSpectra colors allow architects to incorporate a unique, ever-changing color\nspectrum in the cladding of sophisticated building designs. ALUCOBOND\u00ae\u00ae<\/sup> Spectra panels change colors as\ndifferent wavelengths of light are reflected back to the audience, depending\nupon the viewing angle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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(ALUCOBOND\u00ae<\/sup> PLUS consists of two sheets\nof 0.020\u201d aluminum thermobonded to a proprietary fire-resistant core and is\nmanufactured in a standard 4mm thickness. ALUCOBOND\u00ae\u00ae <\/sup>PLUS provides\nextraordinary flatness and rigidity, excellent formability, low weight and\noutstanding weather resistance. ALUCOBOND\u00ae\u00ae<\/sup> PLUS wall panels have a\nflame-spread index of less than 25 and a smoke-developed index of less than 450\nwhen tested in accordance with ASTM E 84, and have a Class A interior finish\nclassification.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe color of the overall design was generated by\nthe smart glass, so the cladding color had to look good with the glass,\u201d according\nto Rosen, who said the smart-glass technology offers residents\u2019 four tints\nranging from clear to darkening shades of blue. \u201cCustom Walls & Windows\nsuggested the ALUCOBOND\u00ae\u00ae<\/sup> Spectra Ocean color. The color was perfect,\nso there was no need to pursue custom colors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Exo\u2019s twin 16-story towers rise above a\nlandscaped parking plinth featuring 646 parking spaces and are connected by a\nlink building designed completely in smart glass. The building facades,\naccording to an architect\u2019s statement, are \u201cmodularized, designed to leverage\nefficiencies in fabrication and construction, while scattered balconies punctuate\nthe elevations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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While the box-like design of the residential towers\nmay be straightforward, the color-changing building materials make them stand\nout, according to Rosen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThere are so many new developments on the market\nin the Washington, D.C., area, you have to differentiate your offering,\u201d said\nRosen. \u201cThe Exo is very contemporary and different from everything else out\nthere. We used the building materials to make it striking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Custom Walls & Windows worked in conjunction\nwith John Moriarty & Associates of Virginia to fabricate and install the ALUCOBOND\u00ae\u00ae<\/sup>\nSpectra Ocean panels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThey wanted something special for this project, so\nwe suggested ALUCOBOND\u00ae\u00ae<\/sup> Spectra,\u201d said Alex Bennefield, vice\npresident, Custom Walls & Windows. \u201cWe needed a panel color that would complement\nthe color of the electrochromic glass, which darkens four shades. So, we suggested\nthe Spectra Ocean because it wouldn\u2019t be a dramatic change in color from the\nwindows.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Approximately 16,000 ALUCOBOND\u00ae\u00ae<\/sup> Spectra\nOcean panels were fabricated and installed with a male\/female interlocking\nsystem by Custom Walls & Windows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe ALUCOBOND\u00ae\u00ae<\/sup> Spectra fabricates easily\njust like standard ALUCOBOND\u00ae\u00ae<\/sup> panels,\u201d said Bennefield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Custom Walls & Windows designed a three-piece\npanel system with the glass and ALUCOBOND\u00ae\u00ae<\/sup> for easier installation,\naccording to Bennefield, who said special rigs were required for installers to\nmove in and out of the balconies scattered on the fa\u00e7ade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe used a swing on every floor to support\nequipment for all of the trades,\u201d according to Bennefield, who said\ninstallation was completed two months ahead of schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe owners are very happy with the Spectra\npanels,\u201d said Bennefield. \u201cWe\u2019ve heard more comments about these panels than\nanything else on this project. The color shift really follows you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u00a0\u201cThe Spectra looks fantastic,\u201d said Rosen. \u201cIt\u2019s even more intense than I had hoped.\u00a0 It\u2019s very striking and contemporary.\u00a0 Often you have a vision for a design and then have to figure out how to make it a reality. It\u2019s very rewarding as an architect to have access to a unique and special material like Spectra and to work with a contractor who knows how to use it.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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The Exo is Targeted to Achieve LEED Gold Status<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With the inclusion of sustainable building materials and techniques, including smart glass technology and recyclable ALUCOBOND\u00ae\u00ae<\/sup> \u2013 which is manufactured with both post-manufacturing and post-consumer content \u2013 contributing LEED credits to building projects, the Exo is targeted to achieve LEED Gold Status.
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Marketing materials for the Exo apartments \u2013 which feature a gleaming contemporary fa\u00e7ade \u2013 encourage residents to \u201clive in full color\u201d in this 457-unit multi-family residential community that opened in July 2018. Located in Reston, Va., Exo residents live less than 25 miles from Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[37,38,102,226,450,451,223,30,444,270,84,414],"class_list":["post-5703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-case-studies","tag-aluminum-composite-material","tag-aluminum-composite-panel","tag-cladding","tag-color-changing","tag-color-shifting","tag-leed-certification","tag-metal-architecture","tag-residential","tag-residential-architecture","tag-residential-design","tag-spectra","tag-spectra-ocean"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5703","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5703"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5703\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8731,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5703\/revisions\/8731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}