Materials
Exterior Textiles
_Exterior Textiles
Metal Mesh 1 Twist Action
Haver & Boecker’s Largo-twist screen provides sun protection while maintaining visibility and ventilation. A robust weaving of flat, stainless steel profiles, the screen has slightly tilted horizontal members that deflect light at the sun’s angle of incidence, reducing energy transmission by over 90 per cent. weavingarchitecture.com
2 Net Worth
Jakob adds new dimensions to metal mesh with Ropelab, a series of complex wire creations. The line includes Webnet3d, which provides lace-like support structures for vegetation, and Webnetid (shown), offering a flexible framework for custom patterning and graphics. jakob.com, ropeandcable.ca
Synthetic Solutions 3 Experimental Installation
Selgascano’s floating Bruges Triennial pavilion is made of a brilliant pink PVC membrane from Novatex International. The architects worked with architectural textile specialists Lastra & Zorrilla on this experimental application of a material more commonly used for apparel or upholstery. novatexintl.com
4 Linked In
Kaynemaile Armour’s injectionmoulded, jointless fabrication leaves no weak links. Designed to protect against sun and wind, the polycarbonate mesh is made from recycled composite and comes in a range of metallic looks and custom colours. kaynemaile.com
5 Dark Transparency
The 2018 MOMA PS1 YAP pavilion, by Dream the Combine, is topped with a canopy of charcoal Mermet E-screen fabric, donated by Hunter Douglas. Engineered with a reflective coating, the vinyl and fibreglass textile offers transparent solar protection. hunterdouglasarchitectural.com
Custom Creations 1 Metal Message
GKD offers personalized sun protection with the Omega line’s customized etching. The brand also offers statement solutions (beyond traditional clamping and bolting) for tensioning and framing the metal mesh. For instance, warp threads of the weave can be extended to form large loops for creative fastening. gkdmetalfabrics.com
2 Big Shade
Super-span umbrellas by Mdt-tex offer striking sun and rain protection in public spaces. The canopy fabric for these fixed and telescopic aluminum shade structures can be customized with colour and graphics. The umbrellas are sold in sizes up to 20 metres wide. mdt-tex.com
3 Loom Art
Italian brand i-mesh has commissioned a series of artist- and architect-designed tapestries to embellish exterior walls. The pieces are woven from the brand’s high-tech yarns – made from materials such as Kevlar and carbon fibre – which are typically used for sun protection fabrics in commercial applications. i-mesh.eu
High Tech 4 Bright Idea
Curved, sloped or jogged, Cooledge’s wet-location LED light sheets can uniformly illuminate large surfaces of any geometry and make translucent materials appear to glow from within. The Tile Exterior system includes thin, flexible square panels and smaller segments to conform to angles. cooledgelighting.com
5 Air Scrubber
In April, Kengo Kuma demonstrated The Breath technology – an air-filtering fabric from Anemotech – with his Milan Design Week installation Breath/ng. The fabric is designed to pull molecular toxins and carcinogens from the air; a mere 10-square-metre swathe can absorb the harmful emissions from over 13,000 cars over the span of a year. urbanvision.com/the-breath
6 Power Suit
Pvilion’s flexible new solar-cell-integrated sun shades and architectural textiles – including the Solar Fabric Carport shown – produce the same power per square foot as standard solar panels. pvilion.com