Time to Update Your (Alu) Profile?
Why are designers obsessed with this “half-stuff”?
Dear Reader,
In German, there is a strange yet precise word for materials that have been produced but are not yet final products. They’re called Halbzeug. Literally, that translates to “half-stuff”, and it means semi-finished products or raw stock. Halbzeug isn’t anything done yet, it’s on its way to becoming something. Aluminum profiles are a typical example of such “half-stuff”. Originally intended for manufacturing routes, they’ve become one of the trendiest and long-lasting material choices among designers in recent years.
As with any serious trend, the reasons behind it are multifaceted. Aluminum profiles are extremely versatile. They come embedded in a system of basic assembly methods: L-brackets, eyelets, rollers, and a wide range of sizes and lengths. It’s giving Lego, but for adults (and for people who aren’t into flashy colors). It’s affordable and available in small quantities, it’s durable, and it aligns perfectly with the current zeitgeist of stainless-steel and aluminum-finished surfaces. They’re ideal for creating one-offs that don’t feel cheap or super provisional.
The main clients of Phoenix Mecano Solutions AG, which specializes in producing aluminum profile systems, are industrial manufacturers who use them for production setups like the one shown here. According to a representative Marco Brandenberger of Phoenix Mecano, sales volumes have been steadily growing over the past few years. Aluminum profiles are produced using an extrusion process, meaning raw aluminum is heated and pressed through a shaped die, like toothpaste being squeezed out of its tube.
One of the earliest adopters (or even pushers?) of this trend was and still is designer Tino Seubert. His series “Anodised Wicker” from 2018 combined cold, industrial aluminum profiles with warmer, craft-related materials and techniques such as hand-woven cane wicker. This approach became representative of his entire body of work, creating narratives around the tensions and gravitation between uniqueness and serial manufacturing approaches.
Rooted in childhood experience, the hybrid object series “Transcenders” challenges gendered norms embedded in domestic life. Playing with both Transformers and Barbie dolls, designer Jun Fujisaku understood transformation as a way to resist fixed roles. The objects shift between domestic tools and office equipment, referencing post-war ideals of women at home and men at work. While many material choices align with Tino Seubert’s work, combining natural materials with industrial aesthetics, this project emphasizes the inherent flexibility of aluminum profile systems.
“Airfloat” by Weronika Grec is inspired by the Venetian glassmaking technique bullicante, in which controlled air bubbles are embedded in glass, transforming what is usually seen as a flaw into a deliberate aesthetic feature. The project uses aluminum profile systems in a classic, architectural way to frame and present material research. The profiles function as a subtle structural element, allowing the material qualities of the glass to take center stage.
For the 2025 edition of the Architecture Biennale in Venice, SUB, one of the most zeitgeisty architectural offices at the moment, was commissioned to design the overall scenography. While highly prestigious, the task is far from easy: a scenographic framework must establish its own position and identity while simultaneously presenting and supporting a wide range of projects. To address this challenge, the office chose to work with recycled aluminum.
Aluminum is almost infinitely recyclable without loss of quality, and recycling it saves around 95 percent of the energy required for primary production. Building on this, SUB developed a series of custom aluminum profiles in different finishes, some of them featuring textured surfaces reminiscent of 3D-printed sand. This material gesture created a subtle reference to the historic Arsenale halls in which the exhibition is shown. The approach proved particularly effective: The profile system offered high flexibility for displaying a wide range of content formats, while retaining the potential to become an exhibit in its own right when needed.
Another scenographic use of aluminum profiles was presented by On during an event dedicated to the brand’s LightSpray technology in Berlin in late 2025. The setup aimed to bridge insights into production with the presentation of sellable products. In this context, the choice of aluminum profiles as structural elements was not particularly innovative, but logical.
This modified tape deck, designed to record and archive the never-ending album “Max” by musician Valentin Hansen, feels distinctly aluminum-profile-ish. It makes use of the flexibility of the system to create a highly individualized setup, one that would have become prohibitively expensive to customize using almost any other material. Engineering and design were developed by Lukas Esser and Orlando Helfer, the shelf construction by Studio Ludwig Jenssen, and the overall art direction by the record label Killing a Friend.
Playfulness without relying on material contrast, but instead on the tension between order and disorder, defines the aptly named “Chaos Table by At Large”, the creative practice of Julius Heinzl. It is a straightforward approach – and therefore easy to replicate and build at home – that demonstrates the accessible versatility of this “half-stuff.”
As shown in many of the examples here, collaging or mix-and-matching – whether of materials or contrasting shapes – is a common way of working with aluminum profiles. In his graduation project “Industrial Fragments”, designer Noé Garcia combines the profiles with industrial leftovers and discarded materials sourced from construction sites, warehouses, and urban streets.
But why are aluminum profiles so popular right now? Perhaps they resonate with the current urban industrial–Y2K zeitgeist: sleek, cool, and unmistakably contemporary. Unlike many other semi-finished materials, they carry an inherent showroom quality, a visual language that feels both technical and elevated. At the same time, their appeal is pragmatic. Standardized systems are easier to adapt than to invent from scratch. In a design culture shaped by limited editions, collectible pieces, and temporary formats such as exhibitions, showrooms, or events, aluminum profiles offer an efficient yet aesthetically coded solution. They embody a balance of structure and flexibility.
Tell us about your favorite aluminum profile designs in the comments!
Yours dearly,
Anton (Profile-Profi)
The half-stuffness of extrusion carries and ominous message. Many trends construction and carpentry that use extrusion are explicitly designed to de-skill installation and assembly at commercial scale, not just at a sort of hobbyist or DIY designer level. That and those quad track profiles all look like bones to me...