Project Profiles

Hotel Stylishly Dressed with Copper Anodize Finish

The dual-branded Moxy “Lou” and Hotel Distil present a spirited, historically rooted, upscale Southern hospitality destination on Whiskey Row

The 110-room Moxy “Lou” Louisville Downtown and the 205-room Hotel Distil -an Autograph Collection Hotel offer two distinct luxurious leisure experiences within a single, shared building on Whiskey Row in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. Respecting the area’s architectural legacy and historic address, the hotel tower features an aluminum cladding system by Crown Corr finished in a Copper Anodize by Linetec.

Located at 101 W. Main Street, the block used to be lined with bourbon and tobacco warehouses during the pre-Prohibition era. Today, the hotels’ design elements celebrate the area’s heritage with aged-barrels wood tones, blown-glass lights and flask art pieces, cask-inspired black metal accents and copper fixtures on the interior, and brick and Copper Anodized cladding on the exterior.

“Whether creating a dramatic new design, or conveying a historic depth and heritage, the classic beauty of Linetec’s Copper Anodize brings a rich, distinguished look to architectural building projects,” said Tammy Schroeder, marketing director for Apogee Enterprises’ Architectural Framing Systems segment and its Linetec brand.

The main entrance’s exterior retains the original façade of an 1860’s distillery’s barrel house and office that were saved from a 2015 fire. A newly constructed 14-story tower rises above this historic streetscape offering views of downtown and the Ohio River. The tower elevation facing Main Street showcases the Copper Anodized cladding.

“Thanks to Linetec’s proprietary process, the aluminum panels’ finish will maintain its elegant, rich copper color for years, possibly decades, to come,” said Schroeder. “With our exclusive copper-colored anodize for aluminum, you can achieve the look of real copper and lasting luster that doesn’t patina."

Linetec’s proprietary and warrantied finish is accomplished through a three-step electrolytic coloring method, rather than the standard two-step process. The resulting finish remains a bright copper color, with no patina over time. It does not require a clear coat or ongoing treatment to maintain color stability. It is available for extrusion, stretch-formed and flat sheet aluminum, before or after assembly.

Further contributing to the hotel’s long life cycle, anodize aluminum resists the ravages of time, temperature, corrosion, humidity and warping, meeting the industry-leading AAMA 611 Class I specification. Protecting and maintaining the structural integrity of the aluminum, it retains exceptional hardness and lasting durability. Anodized aluminum is an inert, non-combustible material that is 100% recyclable and poses no health risks.

“Linetec’s Copper Anodized offers an environmentally responsible and economically feasible option to create dramatic new designs that shine, as well as to convey historic depth and rich heritage,” she added. “The finished aluminum is readily available, easily formed, extremely durable and can be recycled at the end of its long life on the building.” Anodized aluminum with a copper color finish also weighs less than half of real copper, for easier transportation and installation.

Recognizing these sustainable attributes, Linetec’s anodize finishing for aluminum has earned a Declare Label as Living Building Challenge™ (LBC) Red List Free. This means that Linetec’s anodize finishing, including Copper Anodize, is in full compliance with the highest level of LBC criteria established through the International Living Future Institute. The Declare Label for Linetec’s anodized aluminum indicates that there are no applicable VOCs (or any other harmful chemicals) associated with this product and lists a life expectancy of 40 years.