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Umicore Ranks in Top 10 of the World’s Most Sustainable Corporations

Categories: building products, business, news, Umicore Building Products, VMZINC
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Based on key performance indicators, such as innovation, diversity, and eco-friendly productivity.

January 26, 2012 (Raleigh, NC) — Umicore, a global materials technology group and the parent company of Umicore Building Products USA in Raleigh, NC, has been included once again in the top 10 of the world’s most sustainable companies.

Corporate Knights, an independent magazine focused on promoting sustainable development, published the rankings this week.

The “Global 100 Most Sustainable Companies” ranking is based on key performance indicators such as innovation, diversity, and productivity related to a set of environmental factors. Ranked eighth out of 100, Umicore was praised for the significant role the company plays in the metal recycling chain and the development of materials for clean energy applications.

This accolade follows Umicore’s recent inclusion in the innovative Living Planet Green Tech Index launched by WWF, the Living Planet Fund Management Company, and Chevreux.

Umicore is also a long-standing component of the FTSE4Good index, which measures performance of companies that meet globally recognized corporate responsibility standards.

“The inclusion of Umicore in these rankings and indices is a recognition that our strategy and business philosophy do meaningfully address the priorities of society today,” said Umicore CEO Marc Grynberg. “We have a strong focus on products and services that provide environmental benefits, such as recycling, automotive catalysts, and materials for rechargeable batteries. This is complemented by ambitious objectives to further improve our environmental and social performance.”

“It is great to be involved with a company that takes a strong stance on sustainability, as well as representing an architectural product that contributes to that equation,” said Daniel Nicely, market development director for Umicore Building Products USA, the manufacturer of VMZINC® architectural zinc.

For more information on Umicore’s sustainability strategies and practices, visit www.umicore.com/sustainability.

For more information on Umicore Building Products, visit www.vmzinc-us.com.

About Umicore:

Umicore is a global materials technology group. It focuses on application areas where its expertise in materials science, chemistry and metallurgy makes a real difference. Its activities are centered on four business areas: Catalysis, Energy Materials, Performance Materials, and Recycling. Each business area is divided into market-focused business units offering materials and solutions that are at the cutting edge of new technological developments and essential to everyday life. For more information: www.umicore.com.

About Umicore Building Products USA:

Umicore is a world-leading producer of VMZINC® architectural zinc. For over 160 years, Umicore has been providing innovative solutions for building owners, architects, and contractors. Umicore has offices and representatives all over the world. In the United States, Umicore Building Products USA, Inc., is based in Raleigh, North Carolina. For additional information: www.vmzinc-us.com.

VMZinc Gets Renewed Notice of Approval from Strict Regulatory Department

Categories: building products, business, construction, environment, news, sustainability
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Miami Dade approves Umicore Building Products’ standing seam metal roof systems for hurricane zone.

December 6, 2011 (Raleigh, NC) — Miami Dade County’s Permitting, Environment and Regulatory Affairs department has renewed its Notice of Approval (NOA) for the VMZINC® Double Lock Standing Seam (VM DLLS) metal roofing system, Laurent Heindryckx, Director of Operations for VMZINC/Umicore Building Products USA, announced recently.

Miami Dade County requires an NOA for any manufacturer who wants to sell its products on projects located in the Miami Dade area of Florida.

“Miami Dade set the most stringent requirements with regards to wind loads and water penetration,” Heindryckx said. “Having this NOA is proof that our panels can sustain hurricane force winds.

Umicore’s VM DLSS (NOA No.: 11-0812.04, Expiration Date 11/16/2016) is classified on the Miami Dade website as appropriate for a “high velocity hurricane zone.”

The VMZINC standing seam metal roof system features a double folded seam. The low height of the seams (1”) contributes to the modernity, lightness, and regularity of the roof and facade, while highlighting its architectural purpose.

“For more complex designs, this system presents a more technologically advanced appearance,” said Daniel Nicely, VMZINC’s Director of Market Development.

Nicely also noted that Umicore’s standing seam technique is particularly suitable for very large roof and facade surfaces and for structures located in regions of harsh climates, like mountain or continental climates, which are often subject to strong winds, heavy rain and snowfall.

“Having the Miami Dade NOA renewed shows that the quality of VMZINC’s architectural building products remains consistent,” Nicely said.

Heindryckx added: “The NOA can be used as a sales argument anywhere in the US to demonstrate the effectiveness of our product even in brutal hurricane zones.”

For more information on the Miami Dade NOA, go to www.miamidade.gov/building/pc-search_app.asp. Select Umicore Building Products USA Inc. in the field “Applicant.”

For more information on VMZINC, visit www.vmzinc-us.com.

About Umicore Building Products USA, Inc.

Umicore is a world-leading producer of architectural zinc. For over 160 years, Umicore has been providing innovative solutions for building owners, architects and contractors. Umicore has offices and representatives all over the world. In the United States, Umicore Building Products USA, Inc., is based in Raleigh, NC. For additional information, visit www.vmzinc-us.com.

Frank Harmon Discusses The New AIA NC Center for Architecture and Design in New Video

Categories: architecture, business, construction, environment, green architecture, landscape architecture, modern architecture, sustainability, video
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Harmon and landscape architect Gregg Bleam talk about the design process.

The iconic AIA NC headquarters nears completion in downtown Raleigh.

December 6, 2011 (Raleigh, NC) — Architect Frank Harmon, FAIA, of Frank Harmon Architect PA, recently posted a new video on his website (www.frankharmon.com) in which he and landscape architect Gregg Bleam discuss the design process behind the soon-to-be-completed AIA NC Center for Architecture and Design in downtown Raleigh.

Segments of the video will be updated as AIA NC (the American Institute of Architects North Carolina chapter) moves in and the landscape matures.

Harmon explains at the beginning of the video that the project is the result of his firm winning a professional design competition. One of the reasons Harmon won, according to the judges, was that his concept for a modern, thoroughly sustainable, and regionally appropriate Center embraced building and landscape as a single interdependent, interlocking whole.

“We knew this was a landscape problem,” Harmon says, because of the oddly shaped, triangular site and the parking requirements. As a result, he enlisted Bleam “before we drew a single line” and felt including Bleam in the video on the building was imperative.

Directed and shot by Allen Weiss of Allen Weiss: Works on Film and Paper in Raleigh, the video

Frank Harmon, FAIA

features Harmon in his warehouse-turned-office in Raleigh’s Boylan Heights neighborhood and Bleam in his office in downtown Charlottesville, Virginia. It also includes a variety of footage of the building under construction; of Harmon and Bleam walking the site, looking over plans and laughing together; and behind-the-scenes moments in the construction trailer.

This is the first video that Frank Harmon, a multi-awarding winning architect and Professor in Practice at NC State University’s College of Design, has done for his website. Why did he choose this particular project?

“Because of its design, the AIA NC Center for Architecture and Design is destined to be an icon in downtown Raleigh,” said Kim Weiss, Harmon’s public relations coordinator. “It’s also the first from-the-ground-up, ‘green’ AIA headquarters in the nation.

“But equally important,” she continued, “is that the general public rarely gets to hear an architect talk about the process that lead to the design of a building, especially one as iconic as this one. Through the video, Frank is creating a rapport with his audience, whether that means students, clients, future clients, or folks just interested in architecture. Together, he and Gregg are communicating more than a written description could.”

She also pointed out that “videos are entertaining. It’s simply a fact that people today are more likely to click on a video than to read a written description.”

The man behind the camera, Allen Weiss, noted how comfortable Harmon and Bleam were in front of the camera. “There was no script,” he said. “They just started talking and were of such a similar mindset that I could easily cut from one to the other as they discussed the design process. I was impressed.”

The video opens and closes with audible off-camera voices. Weiss said he purposefully left the “chatter” in during the edit to give the piece a casual, relaxed feel, “unlike the garden-variety, industrial, talking-head videos that are dry and offer no clues into the personalities behind them. I don’t believe you can separate the product from the dynamic and interesting personalities that lead to its creation. My intention was not only to showcase this important structure, but to allow viewers to get to know Frank and Gregg in a simply, personal, human way.”

To hear Frank Harmon and Gregg Bleam discuss the design process behind the AIA NC Center for Architecture and Design, visit www.frankharmon.com and click on AIA North Carolina Center for Architecture Design – Video.” To read more about the project, click on “current” projects.

For more information on Gregg Bleam Landscape Architect, go to www.gbla.net.

For more information on Allen Weiss, visit www.allen-weiss.com.

About Frank Harmon Architect PA

Frank Harmon Architect PA is an award-winning architectural firm that is recognized nationally as a leader in modern, innovative, sustainable and regionally appropriate design. Its competition-winning design for the AIA NC Center for Architecture & Design is currently under construction in downtown Raleigh. The firm’s work has been featured in numerous books, magazines, journals and online magazines on architecture, including ArchDaily.com, Dwell, Architectural Record, Architect and Residential Architect. The firm ranked 21st in Architecture magazine’s Top 50 firms in the nation this year and Frank Harmon, FAIA, founder and principal, was included in Residential Architect magazine’s first “RA 50: The short list of architects we love.” For more information, go to www.frankharmon.com.

Paul Hobgood Joins Triangle Modernist Houses’ Advisory Council

Categories: architecture, business, historic preservation, mid-century architecture, modern architecture, news, non-profit, people
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Paul Hobgood

To assist the non-profit with its ongoing mission.

November 30, 2011 (Raleigh, NC) – Paul Hobgood, a design associate in the award-winning architectural firm Kenneth E Hobgood Architects in Raleigh, has been selected to serve on Triangle Modernist Houses’ 2012 Advisory Council.

TMH is a 501C3 nonprofit established in 2007 to preserve and promote Modernist architecture in the Triangle. The award-winning website is now the largest educational and historical archive for Modernist residential design in America.

Selected from a cross-section of the design community, Advisory Council members support and improve TMH’s programming, including popular house tours, architecture movies, trips, presentations, and many other events.

Paul Hobgood graduated from North Carolina State University’s College of Design in 2008 with a Masters in Architecture. He was a finalist for the Kamphoefner Honor Fellowship, an annual award that recognizes the College’s outstanding Master of Architecture student. He has worked at Kenneth E. Hobgood Architects since 2004, and has served as a design architect on a number of the firm’s modern, award-winning projects since then.

“I’m excited about serving on the Advisory Council for two reasons,” Hobgood said. “One, it’s an opportunity to further enhance a resource – TMH — that spotlights the Triangle’s rich history as it pertains to modernist homes and architects, since I’ve spent most of my life in and around modernist architecture. Two, I have a genuine sense of pride when it comes to the Triangle. I’m also intrigued by the broad spectrum of interests and specialties that comprise this year’s Advisory Council. It should make for a spirited debate/process.”

The 16-member Advisory Council meets twice a year at the modern Durham home of TMH founder and board chair George Smart.

“The Advisory Council is part focus group, part brain trust,” said Smart. “The members’ experience and insights into design and preservation have helped us create so many popular events over the years that our website is now up to 40,000-plus views a month. I’m looking forward to the innovations that will no doubt come from the 2010 Advisory Council.”

For more information on TMH, visit www.trianglemodernisthouses.com.

For more information on Paul Hobgood and Kenneth E. Hobgood Architects, visit www.kennethhobgood.com.

About Kenneth E. Hobgood, Architects:

Kenneth Hobgood, FAIA, founded Kenneth E Hobgood, Architects in Raleigh, NC, in 1992. Since then, the firm has received 39 design awards from the American Institute of Architects North Carolina chapter and its work has been published and exhibited in the United States, Japan, Italy, the Netherlands, England and Germany. In 1997, Kenneth Hobgood as awarded the Kamphoefner Prize from North Carolina State University’s College of Design for “consistent integrity and devotion to the development of modern architecture” in North Carolina. He has served as a visiting critic at Auburn University, Carnegie Mellon, Georgia Tech, and the University of Kentucky, and as an adjunct professor at North Carolina State University since 1988. For more information visit www.kennethhobgood.com.

VMZINC® Enjoys Record Attendance at Expo CIHAC

Categories: architecture, business, construction, events, green architecture, news
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L-R: Juan Clavel, Veronica Valderrama, Esperanza Munguía, Lili Martinez, and Francisco Jover.

November 21, 2011 (Raleigh, NC) — If attendance at the VMZINC® booth at Expo CIHAC last month is any indication, Mexico will be a thriving market for Umicore Building Products, as the global company anticipates.

Expo CIHAC is the premier event in Mexico and Latin America for the building, construction, and housing industries. Held at Centro Banamex in Mexico City, the show features building materials, machinery, equipment, hand and power tools, building systems and prefabricated technologies, financial services, real estate, finished houses, insulates, piping, and more. Expo CIHAC also includes various technical seminars about the latest challenges and trends of the industry.

Architect Juan Clavel of Aldbanta Arquitects and the NOW Specialities, Inc., agent in Mexico, manned the VMZINC booth assisted by Francisco Jover, VMZINC Director of Sales in Spain.

The booth featured all of Umicore’s VMZINC architectural zinc products, including ALPOLIC composite zinc by Mitsubishi Plastics Composites American, Inc., using NOW’s zinc composite rainscreen systems.

According to Verónica Valderrama, coordinator of Mexico-Sales, attendance was “incredible. This was only our second year exhibiting at Expo CIHAC. The first year we had over 500 registered visitors to our booth. This year we had over 1000 registered visitors. Total attendance for the show has not been released, but the previous year was over 50,000.”

Expo CIHAC attracts exhibitors from all over the world and is attended primarily by people in the industries from Mexico, Central and South America.

“With our Mexican companies’ work experience in the past and the interest in our products at this year’s expo, we believe Mexico will be a great market for VMZINC,” Valderrama said.

For more information on VMZINC, visit www.vmzinc-us.com.

For more information on Expo Cihac, go to www.cihac.com.mx/.

About Umicore Building Products USA, Inc.

Umicore is a world-leading producer of architectural zinc. For over 160 years Umicore has been providing innovative solutions for building owners, architects and contractors. Umicore has offices and representatives all over the world. In the United States, Umicore Building Products USA, Inc., is based in Raleigh, NC. For additional information, visit www.vmzinc-us.com.

Umicore Building Products Holds Open House in New Headquarters

Categories: architecture, building products, business, construction, green architecture, modern architecture, news
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November 15, 2011 (Raleigh, NC) – Umicore Building Products USA, manufacturer of VMZINC® architectural zinc, held an open house together with its parent company Umicore USA in its new North American headquarters at 3600 Glenwood Avenue in Raleigh, North Carolina, on November 1.

Umicore invited site managers from North America as well as corporate executives from global European headquarters to the open house, along with customers, clients, and other companies with whom Umicore does business.

UBP North American President Norbert Schneider and Daniel Nicely, Associate AIA and Director of Market Development, welcomed 150 guests as they toured the company’s new 15,000-square-foot headquarters.

Other company VIPS in attendance included Ravila Gupta, President of Umicore USA; Martine Verluyten, Former Chief Financial Officer of Umicore; LudoVandervelden, Chief Financial Officer of Umicore; and Denis Goffaux, Chief Technology Office of Umicore.

Catering Works catered the event.

For more information on Umicore Building Products and VMZINC, visit www.vmzinc-us.com.

About Umicore Building Products USA, Inc.

Umicore Building Products Wins Three National Awards

Categories: architecture, building products, business, construction, green architecture, modern architecture, news, sustainability
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For the exceptional use of metal in innovative architectural designs.

October 19, 2011 (Raleigh, NC) — Umicore Building Products USA received three national Metal Construction Association (MCA) Chairman’s Awards this year for the exceptional use of metal in innovative architectural designs.

In the Residential category, Umicore Building Products (UBP) received the 2011 MCA Chairman’s

The GREENville House

Award for Kristi and Bobby Walters’ “GREENville House” in Greenville, North Carolina. Designed and built by Tonic Design + Construction of Raleigh, NC, the exterior cladding of this modern, thoroughly “green” house is a mix of brick veneer, vertical cedar panels, and VMZINC® architectural zinc. Metal Worx was the installer.

UBP received the MCA Chairman’s Award in the Educational category for the Gateway Center at Westchester Community College In Valhalla, New York. Designed by Ennead Architects LLP of New York with Worth Construction as contractor, sustainable design strategies including the choice of materials: VMZINC, stone and glass. Barrett Roofing was the metal installer.

Finally, UBP received the MCA Chairman’s Award for Municipal design for the Nebraska Public Power

Gateway Center, Westchester Community College

District’s new Norfolk Operations Center in Norfolk, Nebraska. Designed by HDR, Inc., with J.E. Dunn Construction Co. as contractor, the LEED-Gold project utilizes UBP’s patented Dri-Design® panels for 12,887 square feet of VMZINC’s Anthra Zinc in addition to aluminum and copper. SGH, Inc., was the metal installer.

The Chairman’s Awards are an annual designation given to outstanding building projects involving MCA member companies. The awards honor innovation and creativity while showcasing how metal products contribute to exceptional building designs.

“We are honored to receive three awards from the MCA this year,” said Dan Nicely, Director of Market Development UBP. “And we are proud to be associated with such great projects by incredible architects

Norfolk Operations Center

such as HDR, Ennead, and Tonic.”

The award ceremony took place on Tuesday, October 11, during this year’s METALCON International convention in Atlanta. Pierre Van de Bruaene, Umicore’s Corporate Senior Vice President for the building products division, Norbert Schneider, President of Umicore Building Products North America, and Dan Nicely received the award.

For more information on Umicore Building Products and VMZINC, visit www.vmzinc-us.com. For more information on the Metal Construction Association and the MCA Chairman’s Awards, go to www.metalconstruction.org.

About Umicore Building Products USA, Inc.

Fullsteam Brewery Hosts TMH “Thirst4Architecture” Happy Hour

Categories: architecture, business, construction, entertainment, events, mid-century architecture, modern architecture, non-profit
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Triangle Modernist Houses takes monthly T4A event to Durham.

October 18, 2011 (Durham, NC) – Fullsteam Brewery and Tavern in Durham will host Triangle Modernist Houses (TMH) “Thirst4Architecture” (T4A) Happy Hour on Thursday, October 27, from 6-8 p.m. The cash-bar event, sponsored by Ellen Cassilly Architecture and Urban Durham Realty, is free and open to the public.

Triangle Modernist Houses is an award-winning non-profit organization dedicated to documenting, preserving and promoting Modernist residential design. The “Thirst4Architecture” happy hours connect people with a passion for Modernist architecture in an informal setting.

“We welcome architects, artists, designers, interior designers, realtors, engineers, contractors, property investors, building managers, Modernist homeowners, materials and furniture dealers – or anyone with a huge crush on great architecture,” says TMH founder and board chairman George Smart. “T4A events focus on building relationships, generating passion about good design, creating strategic alliances, and connecting people that we know and trust to each other. There are no presentations or PowerPoint slides. We just want folks to join the fun and make new friends and contacts.”

T4A coincides with “Home-Grown, Home-Made: A Celebration of Localism in Durham,” which will also take place at Fullsteam Brewery, from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Tickets for that event are $25 at the door. For more information: http://thepeopleschannel.org/homegrown.htm.

Fullsteam Brewery and Tavern is located at 726 Riggsbee Avenue, Durham, NC, 27701. For more information and directions go to www.fullsteam.ag.

For more information on Triangle Modernist Houses, visit www.trianglemodernisthouses.com.

About Triangle Modernist Houses

Triangle Modernist Houses (TMH) is a 501C3 nonprofit organization established in 2007 and dedicated to documenting, preserving and promoting Modernist residential architecture. The award-winning website is now the largest educational and historical archive for Modernist residential design in America. TMH also hosts popular Modernist house tours several times a year, along with other events to raise awareness and help preserve these “livable works of art” for future generations. Visit the website at www.trianglemodernisthouses.com. TMH also has an active community on Facebook.

VMZinc Territory Manager Appointed To Expert Forum Panel

Categories: building products, business, construction, green architecture, modern architecture, news, people, sustainability
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To answer questions about metal roofing and installation.

Melissa Dolak-Keller

October 17, 2011 (Raleigh, NC) – Melissa Dolak-Keller, a territory manager for Umicore Building Products USA, the manufacturer of VMZINC®, has been appointed to the Metal Roofing Alliance’s Ask-The-Expert Forum panel.

Ask-The-Expert is a forum for exchanging information concerning residential metal roofing, including general material and metal roofing installation questions. Architects, contractors, and installers post metal roofing questions and members of the panel of contributors provide the answers.

Dolak-Keller is one of Umicore Building Product’s territory managers for the Northeastern states and Texas, along with Alex Pittman and Bryan Ninneman. She has been with the company for five years in a variety of roles, and is now responsible for meeting with architects and installers, giving presentations on metal roofing and reviewing details.

“Melissa is a valuable member of our team and an excellent source for zinc envelope information,” said Daniel Nicely, Director of Market Development for Umicore Building Products USA. “She has a wide variety of experience working with architects and installers on various types of projects all over the United States, and understands the residential market very well. We are proud of her association with the MRA and the Ask-The-Expert Forum.”

The Metal Roofing Alliance (MRA) was formed in 1998 by a small group of metal roofing manufacturers to educate consumers about the benefits of metal roofing. The Ask-The-Expert Forum is located on MRA’s website at www.metalroofing.com/v2/forums.

For more information on Umicore Building Products and VMZINC, visit www.vmzinc-us.com.

About Umicore Building Products USA, Inc.

“Eat For Broad Street” Fundraiser To Be Held in Carteret County

Categories: business, charity, entertainment, events, fundraising, health, non-profit
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Participating restaurants help raise funds for the county’s free health clinic.

On Friday, October 21, 40 restaurants in Carteret County will participate in “Eat For Broad Street,” a day-long fundraiser to support Broad Street Clinic, a free health clinic in Morehead City that has served the coastal county for 18 years.

The restaurants will donate 10 percent of their profits that day to the clinic to help it provide medications to patients who are indigent, uninsured, suffer from chronic illness conditions, and can’t afford the cost of doctor’s visits or medications.

Carteret County physicians and other citizens founded the Broad Street Clinic in 1993 as a private, non-profit, free health clinic serving the adult residents of Carteret County and surrounding areas.

Originally located in Beaufort, the clinic is now located at North 35th Street in Morehead City, near Carteret General Hospital.

To see the list of restaurants participating in “Eat For Broad Street,” visit www.broadstreetclinic.org and click on “future events.”

For more information on the clinic, contact Dr. Mary Katherine Lawrence at 252-241-4154, or email: freeclinic@bizec.rr.com.

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