Aleris Aluminum selected for prestigious Grand Egyptian Museum

Aleris announced at Batimat, the world's leading construction exhibition, that it signed a contract with Alico/ORASCOM to supply a superior aluminum product for the roofing and wall cladding of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM).

Described to be the largest archaeological museum devoted to Egyptology in the world, GEM is the most prestigious project of Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities so far. The site is located on 50 hectares (120 acres) of land between the ancient pyramids of Giza and Cairo.

Aleris will contribute to this impressive project by supplying its unique 151EX aluminum product for the roofing, ceiling and wall cladding of the museum. 151EX is a premium alloy, specifically optimized for expanded metal anodising quality. This type of aluminum, with a timeless and pure look, has already been successfully applied by Aleris for many mesh structured facades, such as the iconic New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York in 2008.

"We are proud to partner with Aleris for this prestigious GEM project and look forward to start the work as soon as our client is ready," said John Baracat, Managing Director Alico/ORASCOM Subsidiaries. "The signing of the contract between Aleris and Alico/ORASCOM marks a lengthy partnership between the two companies which I trust will develop further with Alico's focus on total building solutions, from concept to execution, where Aleris' superior products can play a significant role."

GEM consists of five galleries, two of which will exhibit the complete Tutankhamen collection, an atrium with Ramses II statue and a grand staircase overviewing the history and legend of the great pharaohs.

The museum is aimed to be inaugurated in 2018, targeting two million visitors annually.

The selection of Aleris as a partner in the GEM project confirms once again its long-standing reputation in the market for customer satisfaction and first-class reference in consistent anodizing qualities.

Johan Petry, vice president of Aleris Industrial Products, adds: "I want to congratulate the whole Aleris project team who now see their continued efforts rewarded, as well as thank our customer Alico/ORASCOM for trusting us with this big assignment. Given our proven success in other large scale global projects and specific experience in the Middle East & North America, I look positively to the future cooperation with our customer."