ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | MAY 2026 29 wall assembly consisted of corrugated aluminum sheathing over building paper and insulation board, fastened with aluminum screws and washers. Despite their minimal thickness, these walls were promoted as exceeding the insulation value of a 13-in. masonry wall. Interior wall surfaces were insulation board finished with “Fabrikoid,” a washable nylon by Dupont that produced a flat, jointless appearance. Window sashes, doors, and frames were steel, with ultraviolet-transmitting glass specified for its health benefits. Hardware throughout was either aluminum, as in the stair handrail, or chromium- plated brass for doors and windows. Only the middle floor enclosed the full building footprint. The lower story was left largely open, providing a covered entrance, drive-through garage, boiler, storage, and a dumbwaiter shaft serving all three levels. The upper story was similarly cut away to create a roof terrace with lawn planting. On the main floor, the living room rose as a double-height space with a 17-ft ceiling. A built-in glass and metal cabinet separated the dining area from the living room and contained a retractable metal dining table with a rubber top that rolled into a cylinder. The bedroom, the modern age. New materials allowed for new design possibilities, moving away from decorative elements toward functional design. SPECIFICATIONS FOR 20TH CENTURY LIVING The Aluminaire’s footprint was dictated by the dimensions of the exhibition hall’s atrium space, and it was erected in under 10 days as a proto- type for mass produced housing. If produced in quantities of 10,000 or more, the homes would cost only $3200. Designers hoped that many more would be fabricated, lowering the price, but this did not take place. The Aluminaire House is a three-story structure supported by six, 5-in. diameter aluminum pipe columns spaced roughly 14 ft apart. These columns were connected to aluminum and light steel channel girders, which in turn carried lightweight steel beams topped with pressed-steel floor decking— the first residential use of such decking in the United States. The flooring was finished with insulation board, linoleum, and cork. The structural frame rendered the walls entirely non-load bearing, serving only as enclosure screens. At just 3-in. thick, the exterior Under construction at new Palm Springs location in 2023. Courtesy of Frauke Hogue. Entryway. Courtesy of Frauke Hogue. HISTORY OF ALUMINUM • 1825: first mentioned by Hans Christian Oersted, Denmark • Early-to-mid 1850s: first used in jewelry; considered rare and expensive • 1855: displayed at World’s Fair in Paris • 1885: used atop Washington Monument as a lightning rod • 1886: Hall and Héroult developed the electrolytic method of producing aluminum • 1919: first airplanes made of aluminum • 1920s to 1950s: hand-forged aluminum servingware became an affordable alternative to silver for the masses Douglas M-2 made of Duralumin, circa 1926.
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