Richmond City Hall, Virginia

If not for the debilitating effects of temperature changes and moisture penetration, Richmond would not be able to boast such a sleek and stylish City Hall. The original 1970s tower block, a building of its era – weighty but prosaic – was clad in white marble panels. By the mid-nineties, due to climatic effects, these panels were dangerously cracking and loosening presenting a nice architectural challenge: a new, high-performance skin; a new, dynamic image.

The reflective surfaces of the metallic-painted aluminum panels surrounding the deeply recessed windows, together with the removal of the non-structural corner columns, dramatically emphasized the building’s striking grid-like appearance.

Type of Building: Public

Architect: Ballou, Justice and Upton; Refurbishment: Scribner, Messer, Brady &Wade, Richmond Wiss Janney Elstner (WJE) of Fairfax, VA

Brand: Interpon D3000