CORTEN steel or weathering steel has been used in building and construction for many years. This steel is a material that provides protection while revealing the passage of time. Best known as corten (derived from the trademark COR-TEN), this type of steel alloy was developed to eliminate the need for painting. Long-term exposure to the weather allows the steel to gradually form a rust-like layer that’s continuously changing and virtually maintenance-free.
5 famous buildings made from Corten Steel
Read below to discover some of the most renowned constructions made out of CORTEN steel.
#1 John Deere World Headquarters, Illinois, USA
We couldn’t write this blog without mentioning the John Deere HQ in the US, the first project ever to use corten steel for architectural purposes. Designed by architect Eero Saarinen, it has been ageing for nearly 60 years and still looks remarkable. Look at this indoor garden! On top of being a precursor, it is also a building that keeps employees’ morale high. I can well imagine myself typing away in this lovely decor. 
#2 The Courtyard Theater – Stratford-upon-Avon, UK
In 2006, the Swan Theaters were being renovated and the Royal Shakespeare Company had to play somewhere. How mad to deprive the lovely people of Stratford-upon-Avon from their beloved plays! Ian Ritchie and his fellow architects designed this superb building and completed it in under a year. Created originally as a prototype, the Courtyard Theater weathering steel extension remained and is now home to the new Shakespeare Company’s theatre. To weather steel or not, that’s hardly a question anymore!
#3 The Design Museum – Holon, Israel
While Corten steel started being used in architecture massively in the US and the UK in the 20th century, it is now being used by talented designed and architects all over the world.
Inaugurated in 2010, the Design Museum of Holon in Israel costed an impressive £11m. When you see the result, I say money well spent! The museum structure invites us to wander and makes heads spin with its curvaceous external outer wall. When visiting Tel-Aviv, make sure to plan a detour to Holon and spend some time at the Design Museum… a delight for the eyes and the perfect way to discover Israeli top designers.
#4 Barclays Center Sports Arena – New-York, USA
This incredible structure in the heart of Brooklyn opened in 2012 with no other than Jay-Z to headline. Financing for the arena was known to be tumultuous and ended up costing millions… $510 million to be exact, but who’s counting!
Besides this little hiccups, the Barclays’ Center is a huge beast, giving some serious competition to Madison Square Garden. It is also the home of two major sports team: the Brooklyn Nets (basketball) and the New-York Islanders (Ice Hockey).
#5 Leeds Broadcasting Tower
This list wouldn’t be complete without this impressive 23 storey building in the heart of Leeds.
Completed in 2009 for a modest £50m, the tower is home to 240 student accommodation, offices and teaching classrooms. Aside from being the coolest building in the Beckett University campus, the broadcasting tower is also a great addition to the Leeds skyline.
The cherry on top, it has received the ‘Best Tall Building in the World’ Award in 2010, adding up to the numerous other international and national prizes won by the talented architects of Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios.
There are oh-so-many great buildings made out of weathering steel that one blog can’t cover them all. Whether it’s a concert venue, a museum, offices or even a house for a private owner, it is impossible to deny that Corten steel can serves many purposes while looking absolutely stunning!
12 Stunning and attractive Corten houses
Drawing together 12 corten houses, each of the following projects explores the steel alloy’s application through interiors and exteriors alike. Made to change over time, these residences show how architects can embrace natural forces and the imprints they leave behind.
Sagaponack House by Bates Masi + Architects, Sagaponack, N.Y., United States
The Sagaponack House was designed with a densely packed program between the ocean and a pond. Embracing the surrounding site features, the building volume and fenestration was formed to engage views with stepped planters, a plinth and steel moment frame. Heavy gauge corten steel and cedar siding was used as cladding.
Casa Horitzó by RCR Arquitectes, Girona, Spain
Embedded in the hillside, the Horizon House frames views while creating multiple outdoor spaces carved into the landscape. Broken into multiple programmatic volumes, the design was built almost entirely with glass and corten.
Andri & Yiorgos Residence by vardastudio architects and designers, Paphos, Cyprus
Located in Cyprus, this residence was formed as two volumes that are integrated through interior living spaces. Corten cladding was used for the upper volume atop a smooth concrete ground floor and garden areas below.
Studhorse by Olson Kundig, Winthrop, Wash., United States
Olson Kundig’s Studhorse project was created to experience the Methow Valley throughout all four seasons. With multiple structures centering around a courtyard and pool, the design groups together public areas in a shared pavilion. Private living quarters and a sauna were organized as more secluded and isolated spaces in the home’s master plan.
Millbrook House by Thomas Phifer and Partners, Millbrook, N.Y., United States
This house design begins with a journey through a 200-acre site that focuses on the experience and re-experience of the landscape. Geometric objects choreograph the route, leading to a cantilevered, weathering corten box. The house frames long, perspectival views of the Hudson Valley and panoramic views in the main living spaces.
Guesthouse by HHF Architects, Ancram, N.Y., United States
Designed in partnership with Ai Weiwei as an addition, this project is located on a forested slope in New York. The guesthouse includes a gallery, bedroom and workroom, as well as a Y-shaped plan that links living quarters and defines the project’s overall appearance.
Redcliff House by MAP Architects, Redcliffs, Christchurch, New Zealand
Floating on a sloping site in the Port Hills, this residence features a lava stone-clad blade wall, a generous deck and views across an estuary. Interior art galleries were combined with living quarters to frame views and define arrival points. Clad in corten steel panels, the project’s façade buffets southern and easterly winds.
Studio Sitges by Olson Kundig, Sitges, Spain
Studio Sitges was designed as a live/work space for a photographer and his family. Capturing the casual energy of the surrounding beach town, the project uses weathered steel and large panels of Cor-Ten as cladding and connection to the nearby street. Embracing the mild climate, the design includes pivot and sliding doors to merge exterior and interior space.
Cor-Ten House in Putney by Eldridge London, London, United Kingdom
As a corten house that references the red brick of adjacent properties, Eldridge London’s project was made with a low-maintenance external envelope. Inside, extensive timber paneling and a plywood staircase add warmth and character to each living space.
Wren House by Chris Pardo Design Elemental Architecture, Missoula, Mont., United States
Designed to be a sustainable living environment, the Wren House is sited in downtown Missoula. Outside, a low maintenance corten shell combines with concrete and burnt reclaimed barn wood around five deck spaces.
Jarson Residence by Will Bruder Architects, Phoenix, Ariz., United States
The Jarson Residence was oriented to the McDowell Mountains along a desert wash landscape. Created as a vessel for discovery, the project features large, weathered steel cladding and panels, as well as a shaded raised gravel terrace.
Berkshire Residence by Olson Kundig, New Marlborough, Mass., United States
Sited between a forest and a meadow along an ecotone, the Berkshire Residence rises above the open landscape below. Taking advantage of views through a slim floorplan, the house includes a 150-foot-long hallway and multiple kinetic gizmos that create a sense of shared existence.
