COPPER ARCHITECTURE FORUM
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EDITORIAL
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COPPER FOCUS Focusing on a single material – as we do here with copper in all its forms – enables illuminating comparisons of different architectural approaches by different designers. A common thread in this issue is the designer’s fascination with copper as a living, changing material, often reflecting a building’s context, whether historical or geographical. Our Cover Story is a good example, exploring a major sports complex (pages 18-21) clad in brass shingles, chosen to complement the colours of natural grasses in its location near the Rocky Mountain foothills. In another mountainous region, this time in northern Italy, a golden alloy of copper highlights minimalist lodges in a golf course landscape (pages 14-17). To complete this sporting theme, an addition to a golf clubhouse in Germany (pages 22-23) distances itself with copper and glass modernity. One architect’s interest in pre-patinated copper for over a decade has influenced an award-winning intervention to London’s Royal Academy of Music (pages 4-7), demonstrating copper’s capability to express the challenging forms of performance spaces. Historical context – a textile trading street – informs the undulating brass and glass facades of a new flagship retail store (pages 30-33) in Wuppertal, Germany. Meanwhile, alternating copper finishes characterise the entrance of a redeveloped headquarters building (pages 11-13), intentionally to develop differently internally and externally.
Also ‘making an entrance’ are three dramatic, wave-like green copper canopies, contrasting with the dark glass facades of an innovative Lithuanian business centre (pages 34-35). In the same town of Kaunas, expressed longitudinal joints in pre- patinated copper on a new villa (pages 8-10) give a modern take on surrounding metal-clad inter-war housing. Original copper features on 1910 recreational buildings in a British coastal resort have also been respected, with perforated pre-patinated copper additions (pages 28-29). Again, perforated copper – this time to graphic effect – offers transparency alongside opacity on an elegant housing project in central Warsaw (pages 24-27). We hope you enjoy this issue and would like to continue reading Copper Architecture Forum in the future. Whether you prefer digital versions or printed copy by post, we urge you to register now to receive future issues free. The Editorial Team
SECURE YOUR FREE PRINTED COPY AND READ MAGAZINE BACK ISSUES ON COPPERCONCEPT.ORG Copper Architecture Forum 46, May 2019
Publisher: Nigel Cotton, ECI Editor in Chief: Robert Pintér
Copper Architecture Forum is part of the ”European Copper In Architecture Campaign”. It is published twice a year and has a circulation of 25.000 copies.
Editor: Chris Hodson RIBA
The magazine is distributed to architects and building professionals throughout Europe – and beyond – in English, Czech, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Russian and Spanish languages.
Editorial panel: Birgit Schmitz, De Kazimierz Zakrzewski, Pl Marco Crespi, It Nicholas Hay, UK Nikolaos Vergopoulos, Gr Nuno Diaz, Es Olivier Tissot, Fr Pia Voutilainen, Se, No, Fi, Dk Robert Pintér, Hu, Cz, Svk, Ru Yolande Pianet, Benelux
E-mail: editorialteam@copperconcept.org Address: CAF, European Copper Institute, Avenue de Tervueren 168 b-10, B-1150 Brussels, Belgium Layout and technical production: ECI Printing: Copy & Consulting Kft., Hungary
Editorial team: Ari Lammikko, Chris Hodson, Graeme Bell, Herbert Mock, Hermann Kersting, Robert Pinter birgit.schmitz@copperalliance.de kazimierz.zakrzewski@copperalliance.pl marco.crespi@copperalliance.it nick.hay@copperalliance.org.uk nick.vergopoulos@copperalliance.gr nuno.diaz@copperalliance.es olivier.tissot@copperalliance.fr pia.voutilainen@copperalliance.se robert.pinter@copperalliance.hu yolande.pianet@copperalliance.eu
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CONTENTS
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18 – 21 COVER: Shane Homes YMCA 34 – 35 2 COPPER FOCUS – editorial comment 4 – 7 BLUE SKYLINE - A blue pre-patinated carapace defines the roofline of this well-received and ingenious scheme within a challenging historic London location. 8 – 10 COOL CONTEMPORARY COLOURS - A modern house enwrapped with copper respects its historic interwar ‘garden city’ location in Kaunas, Lithuania. 11 – 13 COPPER INSIDE AND OUT - Three forms of copper are used to decorative effect, both inside and out on a redeveloped commercial building in Guildford, UK. 14 – 17 GOLD OASIS - Crisply detailed golden alloy accommodation pods appear to float above the undulating landscape of a golf course in Italy. 18 – 21 BRASS SERPENT - A serpent-like, brass clad sports building belies its substantial footprint and nestles into the rolling hills of Calgary, Canada.
© Copper Architecture Forum 2019
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Calgary, Canada
Photo: Adam Mørk
22 – 23 CLASSIC MODERNITY - This major expansion of a golf clubhouse in Neuss, Germany is expressed with modern horizontality, extensive glazing and copper cladding. 24 – 27 COPPER COMBINATIONS - Copper facades and transparent screens enhance and animate this apartment project in central Warsaw, moderating inside from out. 28 – 29 COPPER DANCERS - New additions to restored buildings in Whitley Bay, UK, are characterised by pre-patinated copper, matching original dancing sculptures. 30 – 33 BRASS WAVES - Historic links with drapery are celebrated with inclined, wave-like brass and glass facades on this new German retail store. 34 – 35 COPPERPLATE SCRIPT - Pre-patinated copper portals make a strong, calligraphic statement etched onto the facades of this business centre in Kaunas, Lithuania.
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AWARD WINNING PROJECT
BLUE SKYLINE Ian Ritchie Architects explain their ingenious design for the Royal Academy of Music in a particularly challenging historic London location. Winner of several awards, including the RIBA London Building of the Year 2018, the project is defined by its roofline of blue patinated copper – a material that the architects have been exploring for over a decade.
Architects: Ian Ritchie Architects Copper installer: All Metal Roofing Copper product: Nordic Blue Living 1 Photos: Adam Scott
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For the Royal Academy of Music project, the blue pre-patinated copper provides just the right hue which will continue to develop naturally over time
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FULL SUPPORT FOR COPPER Hidden behind the façade of the Royal Academy of Music’s Edwardian premises, surrounded by other protected historic buildings and located within the Regent’s Park conservation area, two distinct, outstanding performance spaces have been created. Despite the complexities of the constrained site into which the myriad of functions of a modern opera and musical theatre were to be introduced, the copper-clad project’s design was unanimously granted permission at the first submission, fully supported by the local authority, as well as historic building protection organisations.
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Seamlessly integrated within the historic site, the project is expressed by facades and roofs clad in blue pre-patinated copper. Ian Ritchie said: ‘I grew up in Brighton and have always been fond of the copper roofs there, naturally patinated a turquoise blue by the sea air. Our interest in pre-patinated copper goes back to 2004 and instigated research and development carried out by its manufacturer for a previous project. For the Royal Academy of Music project, the blue pre-patinated copper provides just the right hue which will continue to develop naturally over time’.
OUTSTANDING SPACES Designed for both opera and musical theatre productions, The Susie Sainsbury Theatre sits at the heart of the Academy. Within the old concrete walls, the Theatre incorporates 40% more seating than previously through the addition of a balcony, as well as a larger orchestra pit, a stage wing and a fly tower. Above the Theatre, and acoustically isolated from all other buildings, the new 100-seat Recital Hall provides a further 230m2 of space.
Creating a visual and physical link between the old and new buildings is the Recital Hall’s new glazed lobby, which is primarily accessed from the main stairway and also by a glazed lift. The new light wells reveal the previously concealed Grade II rear façade, in which bricked-up windows have been reopened. Both of these beautifully finished, acoustically diverse spaces can be accessed independently and complete a suite of facilities for the Academy’s ambitious student body and world-class teaching staff and for public performances.
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COOL
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CONTEMPORARY COLOURS
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“X-ARCH” architects explain their approach to integrating a modern house into the historic interwar ‘garden city’ district of Žaliakalnis in Kaunas, Lithuania, defined by its idiosyncratic villas – many involving metal roofs and cladding. Žaliakalnis was shaped during the 1919-1940 period, and any development within this sensitive heritage location is strictly regulated. One of the aims of our project was to find a subtle, contemporary architectural expression and materiality, enabling the house to blend into its architectural context in as respectful and sensitive a manner as possible. Our intention was to retain, but also develop the visual character of Žaliakalnis, preserving and strengthening its unique aesthetic. At the same time, our contemporary architectural solutions seek to enrich the area, not by directly copying but, instead, reinterpreting it from a modern position. During the creative process, design choices were improvised, taking into account the heritage values of neighbouring buildings.
CLEAN, MODERN LINES To meet both technical and architectural expression requirements, we determined that the main facade, pitched roof and other elements should be covered with copper. The green pre-patinated copper surface complements grey coloured boarding, window frames and other elements, providing a restrained palette of cool, contemporary colours. The use of expressed longitudinal joints between copper sheets is found both on contemporary buildings and also the nearby traditional interwar houses, emphasizing the connection between past and the present. This approach also avoided overt details, such as gutters and downpipes, that would spoil the clean, modern lines of the building.
Architects: Rūstenis Milaševičius, “X-ARCH” Copper installer: EXTERUS Copper product: Nordic Green Living 1 Photos: Leonas Garbačauskas
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COPPER INSIDE AND OUT
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Onslow House is a prominent commercial headquarters building in the heart of Guildford, UK, recently redeveloped using a strong, decorative approach to copper cladding for both internal and external surfaces. Interior design and external alterations, by architects AWW, sought to add value to letting space and bring the 90,600 ft2 building up to date. The updated massive, glazed entrance atrium incorporates feature walls – including inset doors – faced with horizontal panels, alternating in three colours: light and dark brown pre-oxidised, and standard ‘mill finish’ copper. Structural columns are similarly enwrapped with alternating finish copper bands and the copper detailing is even continued into elements of bespoke furniture. The internal copper cladding had a post-lacquer finish applied to arrest further oxidisation, so retaining the three colours and protecting the surface. This creates a reflective surface, mirroring and enhancing the lightness of the atrium space.
Architects: AWW Copper installer: CGL Facades Copper product: Nordic Standard, Nordic Brown, Nordic Brown Light Photos: Courtesy of CGL Facades
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ADDING A STRONG BUILDING IDENTITY The same horizontal copper panel composition of three surfaces continues past the external glazing to the outside. Here, the building’s entrance has been transformed with new copper-clad canopies to create a strong, easily recognised identity, with minimal work to the existing building envelope. Externally, the copper has not received a lacquer finish, as AWW explain: ‘We consider copper’s natural surface development outside, reflecting the local environment, to be one of the material’s key attributes. An attractive, gradual weathering and softening of the differentiation between the three copper surfaces on the canopies has already begun – and will continue over time – as we anticipated.’ by Chris Hodson
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We consider copper’s natural surface development outside, reflecting the local environment, to be one of the material’s key attributes
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GOLD OASIS
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Designers UPPERCUT describe the reasoning behind their crisp, minimalist design of golden copper alloy ‘pods’ apparently floating above the undulating landscape of a golf course near Udine, Northern Italy. ‘Gold’ is how we describe The Lodge, a complex of four buildings, surrounded by greenery and protected to the north by mountains. The Lodge is located near the Natural Oasis of Quadris, home to the reintroduction of the White Stork and protection of the Hermit Ibis.
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We chose this copper alloy as elegant and sophisticated – attractive for tourists and golfers alike
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FLEXIBLE LAYOUTS The four buildings sit on slightly sloping terrain within the Udine Golf Club, staggered and oriented east to west. They are all equal in shape and size, and consist of two floors: the upper volume overhanging the lower, providing shelter for the patio below. Each building comprises 2 apartments with independent entrances. To meet the needs of the Golf Club guests, internal layouts can easily adapt to different accommodation needs, ranging from single guests to large groups of up to eight people.
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
FIRST FLOOR PLAN
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The lower volume, with its ebony black finish, contrasts strongly with the upper – an apparently suspended, precious, golden copper alloy box. We chose this copper alloy (with zinc and aluminium) as elegant and sophisticated – attractive for tourists and golfers alike. Surprisingly, gold is one of the colours more suited to a dialogue with nature all year round: with autumn reds, spring blooms and soft winter light. The golden copper alloy also remains stable over time and is also completely maintenance free.
MINIMIZING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT We conceived The Lodge always thinking about minimizing environmental impact, particularly through a careful choice of building materials considering recyclability criteria, which copper easily meets, and advanced energy saving techniques. Steel framed structural systems were custom-designed and pre-fabricated with the aim of minimising construction time – which actually amounted to just 9 months. The efficient design process involved a BIM platform with open collaboration between professionals. Particular care has been paid to the study of all structural junctions to ensure homogeneity and continuity of insulation, eliminating all possible thermal bridges. The result is a building with high performance both during the winter, with low dispersion, and summer, thanks to the ventilated copper alloy façade and high thermal inertia. The entire system operates using only electrical power supply and avoids the use of fossil fuels.
WEST ELEVATION
NORTH ELEVATION
EAST ELEVATION
SOUTH ELEVATION
Designers: UPPERCUT Copper installer: Mario Mucci Srl Copper product: TECU® Gold Photos: Massimo Crivellari
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AWARD WINNING PROJECT
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Belying its substantial footprint, this undulating serpentine building, with shimmering brass shingle facades, nestles comfortably into the rolling hills of the northwest corner of Calgary, Canada. Its designers, GEC Architecture, tell us more about their award-winning project.
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We were interested in a material that would develop real depth of colours and would naturally patinate and change over time.
RESPONDING TO LANDSCAPE The Shane Homes YMCA at Rocky Ridge is a regional hub of physical activity and a multipurpose gathering space for diverse community and arts programs, health and wellness opportunities, and child care services. Conceived as a low, horizontal form stitched into the landscape, the building expresses and complements the natural contours of the site.
FLOOR PLAN
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It differs from typical recreation centres in promoting open access to all program elements: a floating running track encircles the public concourse from overhead, adding dynamic energy to each space. All program elements are set beneath a curved, undulating glued-laminated timber roof structure – the largest timber roof in North America – that spans the entire facility, links the spaces together and responds to their individual height requirements.
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Brass proved to have just the right colour range throughout the patination process. And, essentially, brass is beautiful.
HANDLING COMPLEX GEOMETRY For the ribbon-like façade, containing large curving expanses of glulam-supported high-performance glazing, the flexibility of the brass shingles easily accommodated and accentuated the complex geometry. We also wanted a material that would complement the natural grasses of the surrounding foothills to the Rocky Mountains. We were interested in a material that would develop real depth of colours and would naturally patinate and change over time. Brass proved to have just the right colour range throughout the patination process. And, essentially, brass is beautiful.
Targeting LEED Gold, the facility is taking steps to ensure the greenfield site is carefully enhanced, while continuing to function as habitats for existing wildlife. Integrating the building within its park-like setting provides the community with natural recreation opportunities. Multiple pathways curve throughout the site linking to the regional pathway system and connecting the community to the reconstructed wetland, the recreation facility, and the foothills.
Architects: GEC Architecture Copper installer: Thermal Systems Copper product: TECU® Brass Photos: Adam Mørk
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CLASSIC MODERNITY
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Copper and glass in the upper floor distance the new intervention from the materiality of the old building
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A major addition to the Hummelbachaue Neuss Golf Club, south of the German city of Neuss, is characterised by classic modern forms and materiality, as architects Wichmann Architekten & Ingenieure explain.
The new building exerts itself as a discrete structure, separated from the original, old clubhouse but expanding its functionality. A new plaza forms the centre of the ensemble with an outside restaurant, front desk, shop and bistro. The facades are conceived as horizontally layered textures: open and closed areas alternate. Copper and glass in the upper floor distance the new intervention from the materiality of the old building, whilst the brick facades of the basement visually connect with the existing buildings.
Architects: Wichmann Architekten & Ingenieure Copper installer: Friedrich Koch Bedachungs Copper product: TECU® Classic Photos: Jens Willebrand
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COPPER COMBINATIONS
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We regard copper as a timeless and living material, changing over time. It gives the architecture an additional, unique aspect and charm
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Architects Kuryłowicz & Associates discuss how copper in various forms enhances and animates their infill project of apartment buildings in central Warsaw. The SBM Torwar project comprises three residential blocks with underground parking and a multi-functional building within a cooperative estate in Warsaw’s Powiśle district, a short distance from the Vistula, in the greenery of the surrounding parks. The buildings have been inserted into spaces between existing buildings – freestanding reminders of the 1970s – without prejudice to the open character of the entire estate.
Daniel Chrobak
The design meets our main goals, essentially: to present a modest scale; to arrange the buildings and avoid dominating the area; to seamlessly fit into the surroundings; and to harmonise with local architecture, in particular the neighbouring church dedicated to the Holy Trinity and Solecki Square. The new buildings, ranging from three to five storeys, contain 84 apartments. Their forms are simple, with accents dynamizing the architecture in selected places.
COPPER CONTEXT High quality external materials were chosen with great care and facades are clad in limestone, Corten steel, render and pre-oxidised copper. The choice of copper was no accident – Powiśle is a former industrial area of the city and in the immediate vicinity there are buildings with copper finished roofs, towers and other details informing our decision. Copper cladding was utilised to mark characteristic building elements, such as entrances, gable walls and bay windows and shutters. Copper has been used in both solid and perforated panels including patterns created using varied perforations. Some are movable, as folding and sliding shutters opening up balconies and bay windows, and animating the facades.
Architects: Kuryłowicz & Associates Copper installer: PPUH Grem Glonek SJ Copper product: Nordic Brown Light Photos: Michal Lagoda unless indicated otherwise
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COPPER DANCERS by Chris Hodson Renovation of the ‘Spanish City’ is at the heart of a regeneration plan for the coastal town of Whitley Bay in north east England. This collection of Edwardian seaside pleasure buildings built in 1910 fell into disrepair during the 1970s. Although closed since the 1990s, they remained symbolic of the town’s civic history. The protected buildings have now been restored to their former glory and historic features reinstated, including copper terpsichorean figures, or ‘dancing ladies’, surmounting rebuilt cupolas crowning the towers. Contrasting contemporary additions at either end of the building are characterised by pre-patinated copper perforated panels, matching the dancing ladies’ materiality while adding transparency.
Architects: ADP Copper installer: Chemplas Copper product: TECU® Patina Photos: Andrew Heptinstall
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BRASS WAVES AWARD WINNING PROJECT
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A five-storey flagship retail store in Wuppertal reflects the German city’s historic links with drapery through its angled, wave-like brass and glass facades.
City Plaza is the centrepiece of a large redevelopment, seamlessly linking Wuppertal’s railway station and city centre for pedestrians. It forms part of an assembly of impressive historical buildings which define the remodelled square in front of the station. Close to the new building is the wellknown textile trading street ‘Hofaue’ – from which textile products were sold all over the world until the 1960s – and the inclined, undulating facades playfully suggest a fabric curtain in recognition of this history.
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TREATED BRASS SURFACE City Plaza’s concave and convex curved façades are clad with brass panels which alternate with the glass of the curtain wall, lifting the look and feel of the area alongside major improvements to the surrounding public realm. The brass composite panels, generally about 970 x 2,400mm, were treated with a vibration pre- sanding, burnished and coated after the final sanding to preserve the surface. In addition, some panels were punched with square holes, adding texture and lightness to the brass.
The project was awarded the prestigious German Polis Award, ‘Regenerated Town Centres’ category, in 2016.
Valéry Kloubert
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Architects: Chapman Taylor Copper installer: Pohl Facades & Rupert App GmbH. Copper product: TECU® Brass bond Photos: Carola Kohler unless indicated otherwise
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Valéry Kloubert
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COPPERPLATE
SCRIPT
Blue-green pre-patinated copper portals make a strong, calligraphic statement etched onto the glazed facades of this innovative business centre on the banks of the River Neris in Kaunas, Lithuania.
GREEN BUILDING PHILOSOPHY
Three copper canopies highlight the entrances to ‘Kauno Dokas’ and provide relief to the dark glass facades, with a nod to the building’s curvilinear plan. Architects KANČO STUDIJA explain their concept: ‘The second largest river in the country flows nearby, so the shape of the canopies is a reminder of the gentle waves of the water.
The project’s innovative developers follow a ‘green’ building philosophy and this is Lithuania’s first and, so far, only Class A+ business centre. Also for the first time in the country, renewable geothermal energy alone is used to satisfy all its heating needs and it is the first to use river water to cool an entire business centre.
’The choice of materials is more obvious – just over the river bridge, the old town has many examples of copper architecture. So, a copper skin is a continuation of the city’s history but expressed using a fresh language of building elements.’
The building provides 11,000m2 in a continuum of 3 blocks, connected by translucent roofed atria. It comprises an open parking lot and technical rooms on the ground floor and 4 levels of office space above. The plan form is designed for maximum layout flexibility, enabling tenants to organise workspaces according to their needs.
Architects: KANČO STUDIJA Copper installer: EXTERUS Copper product: Nordic Blue Living 3 Photos: Tomas Petreikis
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A 5,500m2 extension is now under construction with a horizontal canopy wrapped around the edge of the building – also conceived in copper. by Chris Hodson
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Copper Architecture Forum
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