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Case Study

Centrum Galerie Dresden

Upon completion in 2009, Centrum Galerie Dresden became the latest tourist attraction on the city’s largest shopping street, Prager Straße.

Due to its UV, corrosion and weather resistance, Novelis J73A® anodized aluminum was chosen for the facade cladding. A tried and tested facade material, J73A proved ideal for the high demands of this external architectural application.

Upon completion in 2009, Centrum Galerie Dresden became the latest tourist attraction on the city’s largest shopping street, Prager Straße. Featuring a distinctive honeycomb facade, its 52,000 m2 is comprised of 120 shops and restaurants, as well as a day-care nursery.

According to the Dutch investor Multi Development, “Centrum Galerie with its very modern architecture and upmarket shops will leave its mark on the townscape and help turn Prager Straße into one of Germany’s top shopping boulevards.”

Download Data Sheet(EN)/(DE)

City: Dresden
Country: Germany
Products: J73A coil anodized
Application: Facade cladding
Color: Natural

Thickness: 2 mm
Quantity: 100 mt/4,500 alveolar structures
Architect: T+T Design, Peter Kulka and De Architekten Cie
Installation: Christian Pohl GmbH, Cologne

Uniting the Past and Present with Anodized Aluminum

Initially planned to preserve the original honeycomb-shaped building shell of the 1978 “Centrum” building as a reference to the architecture of that time, this proved too costly for the retro design. Instead, 4,500 honeycombs made from 100 tons of anodized semi-finished J73A aluminum were used, manufactured by Novelis Deutschland GmbH.

Aluminum elements with a 20 μm anodic layer and a thickness of 2 mm were formed into honeycombs consisting of six individual cassettes edged on all sides. This way, the significant feature of Centrum Galerie Dresden – the three-dimensional design of its facades – was maintained, and the grid structure of the lightweight rhomboid components also endows the cube with its striking crystalline character.

Quality, cost-effectiveness, exceptional protection and strength are all key reasons for using an aluminum facade. Easy to work with and featuring a brilliant metallic appearance, it’s ideal for realizing modern design possibilities in facade cladding. In addition, J73A offers a continuous anodizing process, so there are no contact points, meaning this material can be used without cutting the edge.

This anodic layer simplifies the choice for outdoor application. Novelis ensures that this layer has a minimum value over the entire length and width of the material’s top side, exceeding international standards. The anodic layer cannot peel off, and the sealing quality – tested to the mass of loss test to DIN ISO 3210 – ensures excellent corrosion resistance.

Award-winning Sustainability

The aluminum facade of Centrum Galerie Dresden can be seen not as a break with the old style, but as continuity, integrated into a new architecture in a respectful and creative way.

The developer also placed great emphasis on environmental compatibility and sustainability, both made possible with the use of Novelis J73A anodized aluminum. Centrum Galerie has since won the prestigious BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) award, receiving a BREEAM Excellent rating, the highest level of the British environmental certification.