A vision of radiance

Daylight is essential to our survival. Not only does it influence our physical health, it also contributes to our emotional and psychological wellbeing. In addition, a plentiful supply of daylight has a positive influence on our visual perception, helps to reduce eye fatigue and tiredness, and improves productivity. The strategic use of daylight has become a fundamental element of architectural design, featuring sophisticated daylight designs, complex shadow play and the delicate balance between natural light and artificial lighting. This includes a variety of techniques, ranging from the placement and orientation of windows and the use of intelligent lighting technologies that adapt to natural light conditions to light-control elements such as blinds, light shafts, skylights and light-reflecting façades, ceilings and wall elements.

Light-control systems are based on a simple concept: the sunlight falling at a given angle is intercepted by the light-control system and either kept out, allowed directly into the room or guided onto a reflective ceiling to be transported deep into the room. This leverages the positive health impacts of natural light while also taking into account the increasing pressing need to use energy efficiently. The preferred material for reflection-based light-control systems is aluminium.The material’s reflectivity is key to such applications. Reflection is the phenomenon in which rays of light are deflected back off a surface. When light collides with a surface, some of this light is absorbed, while another portion is reflected. The direction and intensity of the reflected light depends on the surface characteristics of the material (or the substance, component, etc.). Polished, mirror-like surfaces reflect the light in clear, sharp rays, while matt and coarse surfaces are only able to reflect light diffusely, scattering it in different directions. Whether a design calls for a material with isotropic or anisotropic reflectivity, the AMAG product portfolio features solutions for every application. In combination with supplementary surface treatments, such as polishing and anodization, AMAG’s range of polishing finishes create high-quality primary materials capable of meeting stringent reflectivity requirements. Specific material characteristics and precise processing, from raw aluminium through to the finished, light-reflecting product, are basic requirements for optimal light-control systems.Drawing on expertise acquired over more than 30 years, AMAG operates two bright rolling mills, one of which is the world’s widest. AMAG is a proven specialist in this exceptionally challenging product segment, making it possible to meet the most exacting customer requirements - including when such requirements might seem contradictory. In order for this high-quality base material to be used to direct daylight, further finishing steps are required.

Our customer Alanod, for example, uses a special combination of anodization and PVD coating to create products with total light reflection levels of up to 98%. The PVD reflective coating is also protected by further oxide layers that ensure the product’s durability and further reinforce its reflectivity. When products are manufactured for outdoor use, the reflective layer is also protected by a nanocomposite coating or a special combination of anodization and a protective, transparent coating, as in the façade of the AMAG hot rolling plant.The increasing prevalence of aluminium in architectural design underscores its key role in the design of sustainable, visually appealing buildings that also meet the requirements of modern building planning.

The outstanding, high-quality products from AMAG - which are ideally suited to an array of finishing techniques, from PVD coating to anodization - facilitate fine-tuning of their reflectivity and luster to satisfy the aesthetic and functional requirements of light-control systems. So, in addition to improving the energy efficiency of buildings, AMAG aluminium also helps to create spaces that are flooded with natural light and have a positive impact on their occupants’ wellbeing.

The AMAG portfolio offers a wide range of products and surface finishes with special structures that meet wide-ranging usage requirements, including in relation to daylight control.

• Lumenal-matt: This surface has a matt texture but offers high total reflection with particularly diffuse light scattering. This gives the material a soft, unpolished appearance.
• Scatter-gloss: Scatter-gloss is a structured surface with particularly attractive technical and decorative characteristics, thanks to its high total reflection with maximum light scattering and a complete lack of luster.
• Untreated: The untreated surface offers moderately diffuse reflectance with high total reflectivity.
• Smooth: A smooth, reflective surface that reflects light well and produces a clear reflection.

The atrium of the Fulton Center features the “Sky Reflector-Net” - a net of steel cables and reflective aluminium panels, similar in shape to a one-sheeted hyperboloid and perfectly tailored to the contours of the building’s 24-meter-high dome. AMAG base material, refined by Alanod, was used for these daylight panels. The 952 panels suspended in the net guide sunlight into the heart of the Fulton Center, creating a breathtaking atmosphere influenced through the ever-changing colors of the sky and clouds, which pervades down to the deepest levels of the subway and retail complex.