Little Ajax uses corrugated metal to relate to Aspen’s strong mining heritage. Historically, this cladding material was used for its economy and practicality: it was applied in simple ways, highlighting the beauty of the material itself. However, today’s construction standards are more complex, demanding true thermal envelopes to comply with coding requirements. This has made corrugated wall detailing heavy and unrefined, leading people to associate it with cheap construction.

The carved slots that drive the design of Little Ajax generate highly desirable corner apartments. From a detailing perspective, this meant a lot of corrugated corners at various angles. Welded corners, a clean and precise detail, almost doubled the cost of the entire corrugated metal package. In this scenario, Architect-Led Design Build gave us the flexibility to design our own tool and execute a detail at very low cost. To cut the corrugated metal at any desirable angle, we bought a panel saw and modified it with a rotating platform.

The detail itself is water and airtight, the same way a welded corner is. It is flexible, can accommodate various angles and is elegant and refined in a way that highlights the interesting project geometries and individuality of each apartment unit. The way architecture was done at Little Ajax, its finished materiality, is a big part of its success in the neighborhood.