View from the exterior of the semi-circular structure showing stainless steel sun screens on the glazed second floor walls and the geodesic dome rising above the structure.
The American Society for Metals (ASM) International headquarters embodies Mid-Century Modern design, characterized by clean lines and integration with nature. It is situated within Materials Park, a 45-acre site in Russell Township, OH. Originally constructed in 1959, this semi-circular building of approximately 50,000 sq. ft. was home to ASM International for the last 50 years. The building sits beneath an eleven-story high geodesic dome that is the largest open-work dome in the world.
Top: Interior view of the rehabilitated structure. Below: Detail view of the curved walls of the structure.
The headquarters building features stylistic elements such as stainless steel sun screens, large expanses of glass, and a concrete base that integrates the building into the hillside. ASM has played a significant role in the history of material science for about 95 years and has shaped American manufacturing generally – and Ohio regional manufacturing and business specifically – since the 1920’s. The design of Materials Park was the result of the vision of three men: William Hunt Eisenman, ASM’s managing director for 40 years (1918-1958); a prominent Cleveland Modernist architect John Terence Kelly; and architect, mathematician and futurist R. Buckminster Fuller. Mr. Eisenman personally donated 100 acres of farmland to the society. Mr. Kelly envisioned a structure that would bring nature and technology together in a celebration of materials. The geodesic dome was intended to demonstrate mankind’s mastery of materials and technology. The property was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2009 and rehabilitated over the next two years at a cost of approximately $6.2 million.
