Zinc, Corten, standing seam steel: what is metal cladding and is it right for my project?
Metal is one of the most versatile materials available to architects. It bends, folds, curves, wraps and weathers in ways few other materials can match.
Used well, metal cladding can solve practical challenges, unlock unconventional forms and bring a rich, natural palette to contemporary and historic settings.
Why architects choose metal
Metal offers a rare combination of strength, malleability and precision. From curved roofs and crisp intersections to deep reveals or irregular geometries, when a building form becomes more complex, metal is often the material that makes the design buildable. It can be supplied as sheets, rolls or interlocking panels, fabricated off‑site or shaped on‑site, and detailed to create everything from seamless wraps to expressive standing seams.
For projects where the architecture needs to read as one continuous form, metal can run effortlessly from roof to wall, turning corners without the visual interruption that comes with more rigid materials. Shadow gaps, folded edges and concealed fixings allow for a level of refinement that elevates both modern and traditional buildings.
Complementing the material palette
Although metal is often associated with modern architecture, its materiality sits comfortably alongside natural materials.
Zinc from suppliers like VM Zinc comes in a wide range of muted tones much like a Farrow & Ball palette – we often choose soft greys, warm browns and deep anthracite to complement more traditional materials
Corten brings an earthy, self‑weathering surface that echoes bark, clay and soft red brickwork
Standing seam steel is highly versatile and can be crisp and contemporary or subtle and understated depending on the finish
This ability to harmonise with the surroundings makes metal a thoughtful choice in sensitive contexts. It can be bold without being brash, and contemporary without feeling out of place.
How metal works as cladding
Metal cladding can be used in two fundamentally different ways:
Watertight cladding
Materials like zinc or steel can be shaped into a standing seam system that acts as the primary waterproof layer. Rolls are interlocked and folded like traditional lead work has been for centuries, creating a fully sealed roof or wall. This approach is ideal when the metal needs to perform structurally and visually as one continuous skin.
Rainscreen cladding
Corten and corrugated zinc cladding can work well as ‘rainscreens’, where the waterproofing sits behind the metal. This is a great way to hide gutters and downpipes creating a crisp, clean finish. The rainscreen becomes the aesthetic layer, while a single‑ply membrane underneath handles the weather.
On our Waterside project in Ely, metal supported both design intent and planning strategy.
Three historic agricultural barns were transformed into contemporary family homes by ‘dropping’ new buildings inside the original brick shells.
The riverside plot uses a corrugated zinc rainscreen. The textured surface gives the building an agricultural character that suits the site history and sits well beside the river setting. Beneath the cladding, the building was wrapped in a single‑ply membrane, allowing the zinc to act purely as the external finish - a simple and effective way to achieve the look we wanted while meeting the demands of a conservation area.
A second metal‑clad barn takes a different approach. Standing seam zinc wraps the roof and walls in one continuous surface. This watertight system allowed us to run the metal cleanly over curved ridge and eaves lines, hide gutters and downpipes within the build‑up, and create the crisp detailing needed to distinguish the new first‑floor barn from the historic brick shell below.
Some projects demand a material that can do things others just can’t.
The Potting Shed is a sculptural building that sits in the Fellow’s Garden at Jesus College, Cambridge. Designed to look like a giant clay plant pot, it required a cladding material that could bend, wrap and weld into a seamless form.
We specified steel sheets, fabricated off‑site, curved around a bespoke steel frame and welded so that once weathered, the joints disappear into a continuous surface. The warm, earthy tones echo the walled garden, soft red brickwork and surrounding planting. Treated as both architecture and sculpture, the building shows how metal can deliver forms that would be impossible in timber, brick or stone.
At Barton Road, metal cladding helped link the traditional architecture with the modern living space within.
The main house is a carefully detailed Georgian‑inspired design, complete with stone parapets and traditional proportions. Behind it sits a modern open‑plan living space.
Corten wraps the contemporary extension, allowing it to sit confidently alongside the traditional brickwork without competing with it. The same material appears again in the garden studio and landscape design, creating a cohesive palette across the property. Glass, brick and metal work together to form a calm, unified look.
Is metal cladding sustainable?
Sustainability is never just one factor. It’s shaped by how long a material lasts, how often it needs replacing, and how well it performs over time.
Metals like zinc and steel have higher embodied carbon than softwood, but they offer exceptional longevity, often performing reliably for decades with minimal maintenance. Their durability also means fewer replacement cycles, which is a major factor in whole‑life carbon.
Corten develops a self‑protective surface. As it reacts to the weather, it rusts, forming a hard, stable patina that locks out moisture and protects the steel beneath. Many metals can outperform softer materials in coastal or exposed locations where weathering is more aggressive.
Most metal cladding systems are fully recyclable at end‑of‑life, allowing the material to be reused rather than discarded. When paired with the right build‑up, whether a watertight standing seam or a rainscreen over a single‑ply membrane, metal becomes a robust, low‑maintenance envelope that supports long‑term environmental performance.
So, is metal cladding right for your project?
Metal cladding can be a highly effective choice, especially when a design needs precision, a contemporary feel, or a surface that can run cleanly from roof to wall. It’s a versatile material that can solve practical challenges and support the architectural story of your project.
The right choice depends on three things:
The form you want to achieve
If your design involves curves, folds, crisp junctions or sculptural shapes, metal often gives you the control and flexibility you need
The role the material needs to play
Metal can act as a watertight skin, a rainscreen layer, a way to hide gutters and downpipes, or an expressive external finish
The setting of your plot
Conservation areas, riversides, woodland edges and historic contexts all influence the palette, and metal can adapt to each in different ways
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