Ten ways that architects used weathering steel in 2025

Weathering steel has been a trendy choice among architects for many years, but as this diverse roundup of projects completed in 2025 shows, any reports of it going out of style are greatly exaggerated.

EMIT Technologies, USA, by CLB Architects

Almost all the weathering steel that wraps this building was custom fabricated and engineered on site.

That's because it is the headquarters of an energy and manufacturing company in Wyoming, developed by CLB Architects' renovation of a former Kmart department store.

A laser-perforated scrim layer helps to shade the building, as well as providing a glimpse of the activity within.

Find out more about EMIT Technologies ›

The Yard, China, by Neri&Hu

Another adaptive reuse project saw architecture studio Neri&Hu transform a former industrial compound in the Chinese city of Dalian into a creative hub.

Corten steel – the brand name of the original weathering steel product patented in 1933 – was used as the main surface material throughout, in homage to the site's past.

Find out more about The Yard ›

Nujiang River 72 Turns Canyon Scenic Area, China, by Archermit

Also in China, weathering steel's extreme durability made it the material of choice for this cantilevering viewpoint over the Nujiang Grand Canyon in Tibet.

Its rusty hue references colours of the rocky landscape, as well as the significance of the colour red in Tibetan culture.

The structure features a reinforced glass floor that allows visitors to look down at the river 130 metres below, and sits alongside other attractions including a zipwire.

Find out more about Nujiang River 72 Turns Canyon Scenic Area ›

Alta North Residence, USA, by Prospect Studio

Weathering steel remains a popular choice for residential projects, such as this house on the edge of a forest in Wyoming.

The architecture studio wanted something "both visually arresting and deeply rooted in its surroundings", and so combined the steel with concrete, reclaimed timber and stone for the exterior walls, as well as cedar-lined soffits.

Find out more about Alta North Residence ›

Doshi Retreat, Germany, by Balkrishna Doshi and Studio Sangath

The last project by the late Pritzker Architecture Prize-winner Balkrishna Doshi, this structure snakes its way across the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein.

Conceived as a place for private contemplation, its sunken walls and sculptural pavilion are all crafted from weathering steel made using scrap, chosen because its quality of changing appearance with the weather gives the building a feeling of being alive.

Find out more about Doshi Retreat ›

Baker Creek Pavilion, USA, by Sanders Pace Architecture

Located in a park in Knoxville, Tennessee, this pavilion sits next to a mountain-biking pump track.

Sanders Pace Architecture wanted to build something sturdy but not overly obstructive to views across the park, so used perforated Corten steel panels that will require minimal maintenance.

Find out more about Baker Creek Pavilion ›

What Nelson Sees, UK, by Paul Cocksedge

For last year's London Design Festival, designer Paul Cocksedge created a weathered-steel sculpture in Trafalgar Square.

Created to help showcase Google's AI tools, some of its metal tubes function as viewing portals displaying AI-generated films depicting London's past, present and future from the perspective of the famous adjacent statute of Admiral Horatio Nelson.

The raw, industrial aesthetic of the steel was chosen as a contrast to the technology inside the tubes and in reference to Nelson's maritime history.

Find out more about What Nelson Sees ›

Farrapona Geological Viewpoint, Spain, by Puerto & Sánchez Arquitectos

This lookout over a high mountain pass in northern Spain is in a remote location that reaches temperatures of close to 30 degrees Celsius in summer and minus 20 in winter, so a tough material was essential.

It was formed of nine parts prefabricated in a specialist metal workshop more than 100 kilometres away and trucked in to be assembled by crane.

Find out more about Farrapona Geological Viewpoint ›

Red Rock, USA, by Faulkner Architects

California-based studio Faulkner Architects topped this huge concrete house with a weathering steel cantilever that overlooks Las Vegas.

As well as being capable of withstanding the desert conditions, the composition was intended as "a nod to the geology of Las Vegas Valley and Red Rock Canyon beyond", according to the studio.

Find out more about Red Rock ›

Sawmill Treehouse, Australia, by Robbie Walker

A much smaller home at only 12 metres long and four metres wide, this cabin on stilts sits on a steeply sloping site in a dense forest in Victoria.

Designer Robbie Walker said the slatted weathering-steel wrapping will help to protect the cabin from heat during the summer, as well as hiding services and so enabling a cleaner, more sculptural look.

Find out more about Sawmill Treehouse ›

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