Woven metal mesh in airport architecture
Woven metal mesh has been successfully established in industrial applications for decades: precision-woven high-tech products by GKD - Gebr. Kufferath AG are indispensable in filtration and separation, in process belt technology and in screening and acoustic insulation. The idea of using this material, renowned for its technical precision and robustness, in architectural applications was first put into practice in 1993 by Dominique Perrault. In twelve different applications, he explored the full range of the material's potential in the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. Helmut Jahn was also fascinated by the novel potential of this material for architecture and used it in 1997 for his widely acclaimed carpark façade at Cologne/Bonn Airport. Today, woven metallic architectural and design fabric has become a characteristic design element for public spaces all over the world. The material is uniquely attractive in the way that it combines the two dimensions of aesthetics and functionality in a congenial partnership.
Robust textile structure
The textile structure of woven metal mesh - supple, flexible, gleaming, strongly reflective, transparent or opaque - provides the planner with endless scope for interpretation as mantles for buildings, cladding for ceilings, walls and columns, or as partition screens. Depending on the way it is illuminated, the surface can appear almost completely opaque - even with up to 70 percent open mesh surface - or, if preferred, it can be translucent so that people can see in and out. The product is also used in a variety of installations as a strongly reflective projection screen. The great popularity of woven metal mesh in airport architecture is, however, equally due to its technical advantages, which make the material the predestined choice for applications in public spaces. As gateways to the world and as visiting cards for their home regions, airports demand the highest standards in safety and contemporary individuality. Woven metallic architectural and design fabric is non-flammable, maintenance-free, robust and easy to clean. The possibility of converting turbulent air into a laminar air stream through woven metal mesh, a well-known industrial application , has impressive advantages for carpark façades. Technical basic data developed in the field of transport belt technology for the calculation of prestress can be directly applied to the calculation of wind strain on woven metal mesh façades. Individually combinable materials and a wide variety of alloys are woven by GKD on special looms into endless woven metal mesh strips of up to eight meters in width. Such dimensions make optically seamless large-scale applications possible and thus meet each and every architectonic requirement. Whole rooms can be covered without seams or connecting elements. Special weaving techniques render the mesh flexible and tensible while maintaining extreme cross-stability. Its practically unlimited service life, its recyclability, and the robust protection it affords against rain, wind and sun underline the material's qualification for use in public spaces. Its resistance to vandalism - woven metal mesh is scratchproof and even spray paint can be removed - is of great relevance in highly frequented transit areas. The fact that the material is maintenance- free rounds off its profile as a universally suitable product for airport architectural applications, especially in external areas: rain and wind are enough to ensure that no deposits of dust, soot and dirt can build up. The Achilles heel of any interior design concept for airports has always been the problem of sensitivity to pressure and impact. Woven metal mesh, however, has proven itself in this respect, too, for example as column cladding with astounding resistance to damage through impacts with baggage trolleys. Another major advantage of woven metallic architectural and design fabric is its function as acoustic insulation. The mesh structure can break sound waves and guide them to layers behind the mesh where they are absorbed. As suspended ceilings or wall claddings, woven metal mesh successfully improves the acoustics in departure halls and airline lounges. The latest innovation is a stainless steel mesh which can stand up to detonations. The special structure of the weave ensures that the mesh, which is as elastic as it is robust, absorbs blast waves caused by an explosion and guides the radically reduced energy on to the substructure. At the same time, this mesh, which has been extensively tested in the USA, provides an effective shield for façades against flying debris from an external explosion.
Exemplary accomplishments
A selection of the numerous airport designs already accomplished throughout the world demonstrates the wide range of possible applications
Carparks
The carparks at Barcelona, Cologne/Bonn and Van Nuys/Los Angeles Airports have large, eye-catchingly lustrous shells. Seen from within, the parking decks are flooded with daylight, yet shielded from rain and wind. The woven wire mesh also provides reliable protection against falls. In Barcelona, Tigris was the chosen mesh type, while, for Cologne/Bonn Airport, Helmut Jahn decided on Futura mesh. In Los Angeles, Lago was the mesh type used. The woven metal mesh most often applied for carpark façades is Tigris.
Façades
At Newark NJ, Basel/Mulhouse, la Réunion and Rennes Airports, shimmering woven metallic façades provide not only a striking feature for the personality of the building but also functional protection against the sun. At the Aéroport de la Réunion, for example, GKD produced the 1,300 m² of the mesh type Omega for the external façades, on the sides of the building facing the runway and the city. This relatively densely woven mesh type has a charming, filigree grace: façades designed with this woven metal fabric have an optically delicate structure with great reflectivity, in spite of the large surface area. At the Aéroport Charles de Gaulle in Paris, the mesh type Futura provides sun protection over an area of 1,100 m².
Walls and partition screens
At the Aéroport Charles de Gaulle, a semi-transparent partition screen made of the mesh type Lago, 120 meters long and 3.2 meters high, was installed in the new Terminal 2E. Depending on the angle of view, the translucency of the woven metal mesh varies: seen from the side, it seems almost opaque. This prevents passengers who are waiting for their baggage from being able to see into the windows of the offices concealed behind the mesh. On the other hand, the airport personnel working in the offices have a clear view of the arrivals hall through the mesh. Partition walls made of woven metal mesh have also proved their value in airport architecture as division screens between customs and non-customs zones.
Ceilings
Woven metal mesh can also be used for semi-transparent suspended ceilings, as in Düsseldorf, Zurich, Singapore and Athens Airports, where it helps to create an atmosphere of generous spaciousness. At the same time, the woven metal fire safety ceilings conceal technical equipment like sprinklers, cables and insulation material. And yet the construction affords immediate access to ventilation pipes, cables and fire extinguishers whenever necessary. Optimal air circulation is ensured through specially thinned wire mesh panels in appropriate locations. Whether as precisely geometrical ceiling panels or as a flowing ceiling sail - the exciting diversity of lights and colours it reflects transform a woven metal mesh ceiling into a striking personality feature of modern airport architecture. At New Athens International Airport, for example, around 170 m² of ceiling and 30 m² of wall in the departure zones Level 1 and 2 were designed using the mesh types Sambesi and Tigris. Here, shiny ceiling sails lend a particularly decorative touch.
Lounges & ticket counters
Its exclusiveness and purism, coupled with its functionality in terms of safety requirements, also make woven metal mesh the best choice for the design of quality lounges and ticket counters. The noble appeal of woven metal design fabric can be found in the Olympic Airways Lounge in Athens, or the Star Alliance-Lounge in Zurich, or the Virgin Lounge in Johannesburg and the First Class Ticket Counters of Emirates in Dubai. In the Virgin Lounge, for example, a cloakroom was designed with numerous lockers made of Sambesi mesh. Apart from its decorative appeal, the woven metal mesh also has the security advantage that lounge personnel can always see what is in the lockers. The Star Alliance-Lounge is divided into different areas by means of semi-transparent partition screens made of Sambesi mesh.
Roller shutters
Since the transparency effect can be manipulated through the choice of mesh type and angle of lighting, the material offers a wide range of perspectives for use in shop design for window decoration or at entrances. Like shimmering curtains, roller shutters made of woven metal mesh afford attractive views into the showrooms, even after closing time. Illuminated from within, they thus become exclusive elements of window design. At the same time, mesh roller shutters provide reliable separation of non-public areas from generally accessible zones. At Cologne/Bonn Airport, for example, a roller shutter secures the entrance to the restaurant when it is closed in the evenings. The reflective surface replaces the potential harshness of a solid barrier with a myriad of reflected optical perspectives. Whether manual or motorized, roller shutters made of woven metal mesh set no limits on use and design.
