BUILDING ENVELOPE
Green and Sustainable Woven Metal Mesh Reduces Energy Consumption

The inherent aesthetics and unique functionality of woven metal mesh make it a practical choice for almost any building application. Within the healthcare and educational building sectors, the unique material has become increasingly popular because of the added sustainable benefits it provides – a key consideration in conjunction with green building standards.

Woven metal fabric promotes sustainability, solar heat gain reduction
and ventilation for interior and exterior building applications.

Depending on how it is incorporated into interior or exterior building design, woven metal mesh lends to an application’s green and sustainable attributes with benefits such as increased ventilation, reduced solar heat gain, light pollution reduction and recyclability to name a few. Metal mesh can additionally contribute to United States Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED) Certification. Specifically, woven metal applications can garner LEED credits within the New Construction (NC) category, and can also provide green benefits for renovation purposes.

These sustainable attributes – coupled with the stunning visual appeal and functional advantages that only woven metal can provide – make it an excellent choice for various solar and ventilation related applications within the healthcare and educational building segments.

Exterior Solar Shading
For institutional structures like schools and hospitals, maintaining a visually stimulating interior environment that promotes health and well-being is vital. To that end, welldesigned institutional facilities regularly feature a solar shading device as a key component of the exterior building envelope in order to maintain a proper balance of daylighting.

When an appropriate shading material – like architectural metal fabric – is installed over glass, the shading system will limit the amount of sunlight that enters a building, subsequently reducing interior solar heat gain and the spill of floodlighting at night. This can in turn lead to a decrease in overall building energy consumption while maximizing comfort, daylight and views.

An element unique to woven metal fabric is its receptivity to light. Depending on the weave of the metal fabric pattern specified, the material’s interaction with sunlight will fluctuate. For example, closed, tight weaves can block illumination completely, while open patterns allow varying degrees of light to pass through. This can be enhanced through proper positioning of the mesh panels. This makes the material an innovative choice for adding aesthetic interest and modern sophistication to any building facade.

Solar shading devices fabricated from metal mesh additionally maintain an advantage over competitive products in that the entire metal mesh application functions as a sustainable building product in and of itself.

Since architectural mesh is most commonly manufactured from stainless steel, it requires minimal maintenance and cleaning after installation, and maintains a longer lifecycle than that of alternative products. Metal mesh and its corresponding attachment hardware are also readily recyclable and can be manufactured from materials with recycled content. For exterior solar shading applications, woven metal fabric is ideally installed utilizing a tension method that can accommodate large expanses of metal fabric.

McGowan Academic Center at Capital College in Laurel, MD is one example of a structure that has benefited from incorporating a woven metal fabric application as an exterior solar shading device. For this facility, the metal mesh application was specified to control solar heat gain during the day and reduce the spill of flood lighting at night. The solar metal fabric installation additionally serves as the focal point of the facility, with its unique look lending a modern, sophisticated component to the front of the building within the main lobby.

Interior Solar Shading
In addition to exterior installation, woven metal fabric can be installed on the interior of a structure to provide a similar level of solar shading. When affixed to a structure’s windows from the interior, long panels of flowing metal mesh function like traditional fabric drapes, but provide a more permanent method of shading since woven metal maintains a much longer lifecycle than traditional fabric curtains. Metal mesh also adds an unexpected, contemporary element of visual and textural appeal that blends well with any style of interior décor. For interior curtain applications, metal mesh is commonly attached to track hardware that conceals hooks to flexible metal fabric and permits it to travel along the track length. Panels of flexible metal fabric are hung sideways to maximize a draping effect.

This method of installation is a particularly good choice for building renovation purposes, since woven metal mesh can easily be incorporated into the interior to lend a sleek, modern look and feel to a structure. Metal mesh also requires less maintenance and wipes clean with water and a soft cloth. Additionally, woven metal fabric is fire resistant, whereas traditional fabric curtains are obviously not.

Solar Canopies
For buildings with adjacent exterior courtyards, school playgrounds or any other outdoor area that requires shading, woven metal mesh can also be used for solar canopy purposes.

As an exterior solar shading system, a canopy fabricated from woven metal mesh maintains the unique ability to allow air to flow through it. Solar canopies fabricated from architectural mesh also lend an element of dynamic visual interest to an outdoor space while still providing the specified level of shading.

For example, at the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ, a canopy-style ramada structure was specified to provide exterior shading for a rooftop courtyard area. The canopy connects two buildings at the university, which are interconnected on each of their five levels to maximize space and reduce costs. Metal fabric in 240’ wide by 37’ long panels were stretched between stainless steel cables to create the canopy. The metal mesh panels were installed on an angle to allow for maximum sun blockage and unique aesthetic appeal.

Ventilation and HVAC Reduction
In addition to solar shading, metal fabric can provide ventilation and HVAC reduction – important functional attributes for any institutional application. The open area of woven metal fabric naturally facilitates airflow while enhancing interior climate control and lighting. When installed throughout a building, metal mesh can contribute to energy efficiency by improving heating and air conditioning performance.

For interiors, woven metal mesh can be incorporated in a multitude of ways to promote ventilation. Ceilings, wall panels and moveable dividers are common functional and aesthetically pleasing ventilation applications. For example, woven metal fabric can be used to divide a cafeteria or recovery room, adorn an interior reception area or drape the walls of an auditorium.

Another way that woven metal mesh can be used to facilitate ventilation is on parking structures adjacent to schools and hospitals. When installed as cladding for a parking garage, metal mesh increases ventilation by admitting fresh air that reduces engine exhaust. This can eliminate the need for costly HVAC systems.

For example, a parking structure at Community Hospital North in Indianapolis, IN features 40,000 square feet of woven metal mesh as exterior cladding. The large-scale, flexible open area of the metal fabric pattern specified promotes airflow within the parking structure while lending a modern look to the facade.

In Tempe, AZ a parking structure at Arizona State University additionally exemplifies the unique ventilation capabilities of woven metal mesh. The mesh application adorns the structure’s five levels of parking, allowing fresh air and sunlight to flow freely throughout the garage while lending elegant aesthetic appeal to the structure.

Choosing a Metal Fabric Manufacturer
When selecting an architectural metal fabric manufacturer, look for one that can work with you throughout the designbuild process. This will ensure comprehensive costs for design, engineering, manufacturing and building to maximize form, function and economy all in one step. Additionally, manufacturers that are USGBC members can promote architectural mesh applications that will meet the most current LEED requirements. A manufacturer that provides consultations on a project-by-project basis can also maximize the integration of mesh with other products, which can be a requirement for certain LEED credits. Above all, look for a responsible building manufacturer that can provide specific application based product and manufacturing solutions that will meet all of your solar control, HVAC reduction and additional metal fabric building needs.

Heather Collins is director of marketing for Cambridge Architectural, the world’s most experienced – and only fullservice provider – of functional and visually intriguing metal fabric systems for interior and exterior building applications. She can be contacted at: 866.806.2385 or via email at: hcollins@cambridgearchitectural.com.

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