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Woven metal cloth, made of austenitic stainless steel, is proving to be a highly versatile material with
excellent aesthetic and technical qualities. Available in a wide variety of strengths, transparencies,
densities, surface finishes, it offers an endless set of possibilities for architects to create interesting
surface effects in a wide variety of architectural settings. Stainless steel mesh is a highly attractive, yet
strong and manageable material that is adaptable to virtually any design application. Featured here, courtesy
of one manufacturer, Haver & Boecker, are examples of the innovative use of stainless steel wire mesh.
The standard material is S31600, however in some interior applications S30400 is used.
Outdoor Acoustics (1) Located in a high-traffic area of the city centre, the walls of this
highway tunnel in Fellbach, Germany are adorned with vertically-tensioned widths of stainless steel screens
and a recycled cellular material. Designed to counter traffic noise, it has been effective in absorbing up to
20 decibels of sound energy.
Aesthetics (2) Vertically-mounted widths of woven wire cloth made from stainless steel and a weather-proof frame surround the western front of the Lycee Notre-Dame at Chartres in north-central France. These features aesthetically enhance the school building while protecting it from the elements. A similar effect was achieved on the York-Centre (5) in D-Münster, Germany using Multi-Barrette cloth.
Indoor Acoustics (3) To improve the acoustics in the assembly hall and press lobby of the Reichstag in Berlin, Germany the ceiling has been covered with 700 square metres of woven stainless steel wire cloth (type Doka-Mono). Situated one floor above the Reichstag, the hall is an ideal place to view the proceedings in the parliament below. This particular cloth was chosen because the ceiling covering had to be stable and yet not interfere with the efficiency of the ceiling cooling system.
Safety (4) The facade of this parking garage at the airport in Cologne, Germany is made from stainless steel wire cloth panels of the type known as Multi-Barrette. Designed for robustness and transparency, it uses a special alloy which contains molybdenum for corrosion resistance. The cloth serves as a safety barrier while allowing natural light to penetrate the parking decks.
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Haver & Boecker Architectural Wire Cloth
Michael Stichling Dave Henning |
