Weathering Heights: 6 Commercial Applications of Cor-Ten Rusted Steel

We showed you Cor-Ten homes last week, where economical materials bring a touch of industrial chic to any home. At a larger scale, buildings like stadiums and museums can also be distinguished by the rusted-rustic texture of Cor-Ten. Of course, it offers practical advantages, as well: controlled oxidation yields a protective skin of rust, which may be regenerated over the course of many years before the materials are actually used in construction, offering an attractive alternative to shiny new building materials.

Here are some of our favorite sculptural Cor-Ten buildings that engage with their urban surroundings in interesting ways.

Barclays Arena at Atlantic Yards by SHoP Architects, Brooklyn, N.Y.

The mothership of all Cor-Ten structures, this arena features weathered-steel cladding that swoops and swirls all around the building’s exterior. The panels were weathered for six years in Indiana prior to being installed.

Haus der Essener Geschichte by Scheidt Kasprusch Architekten, Essen, Germany

Here, the oxidized panels are meant to change over time and represent the changes and history of the city.

The Wyckoff Exchange by Andre Kikoski Architect, Brooklyn, N.Y.

The massive hinged panels of this façade open to reveal 10,000 square feet of retail and cultural space. The laser-cut patterns in the Cor-Ten panels create a flowing pattern that glow at night by the light of integrated LEDs.

Landmarke Lausitzer Seenland by Architektur & Landschaft Stefan Giers, Senftenberg, Germany

The weatherproof Cor-Ten steel gives this elegant tower a brown patina.

National Tourist Route Trollstigen by Reiulf Ramstad Architects, Trollstigen, Norway

This remote park in Norway’s hinterlands features a Cor-Ten-railed concrete pathway and lookout, which garnered an Architizer A+Award in 2013.

Tanatorio Sant Joan Despí by Batlle i Roig Arquitectes, Sant Joan Despí, Spain

Cor-Ten is not used as cladding, but rather for pillars, which complement the board-formed concrete to give this funeral home a warm materiality.