Creating External Facades that Stand Out from the Rest

Stainless steel architectural wire rope offers almost unlimited potential for creating bespoke external facades that truly stand out.

Jakob cables or Webnet mesh can be tensioned and stretched across large spans on structures of all sizes and shapes, creating a kind of transparent cladding.

As well as offering numerous practical benefits, these materials can be used to create building facades that are eye-catching and unique.

The practical benefits of stainless steel external facades

Stainless steel has some key advantages for creating building facades:

• Cost savings – Jakob materials are made from marine-grade stainless steel making them highly resistant to rust and corrosion. This means they are very durable, which saves on maintenance and replacement costs in the long-term.
• Quick to install – Webnet is a lightweight flexible material that accommodates very large spans. It can be installed on multi-storey buildings, sometimes within a matter of weeks, saving time (and money) for the client.
• Improved safety – the facades can act as safety barriers to prevent falls from height or objects being thrown over the edge.
• Increased privacy – a mesh facade can act as a kind of privacy screen, while still allowing for light and views.

Aesthetic benefits of stainless-steel external facades

Stainless steel wire materials can be customised in all kinds of ways to achieve a great-looking facade.

One idea is to use the materials as a trellis support to create green facades that shade and beautify a building.

An example is the green facade at One Central Park Sydney – one of the largest of its type in the world, spanning 34 storeys and supporting over 2,500 climbing plants. Over 15,000m of cabling was used to create the greenery support structure.

Wire rope and mesh facades can act as a kind of artistic canvas by supporting geometric shapes arranged in various formats. Here are some prime examples:

• Decorative Webnet safety facade on the Liverpool Hospital multi-deck carpark. The carpark has been wrapped in Webnet that supports a colourful mosaic designed to represent native flowers of the region.
• Copper facade at the Sydney University Women’s College Sibyl Centre. Stainless steel cables support a copper panel array that depicts the ancient Greek figure of Sibyl.
• Artistic green barrier on Advanx East apartments carpark. This installation functions as a green facade, an artistic facade, and a safety barrier for the structure.

The Two24 Office Tower in Canberra is another great example of an eye-catching and practical facade. Tensile’s role in this project was to create a giant privacy mesh screen for the building’s podium. Tensile used German-made stainless steel ring mesh called Alphalink to create the huge curtain that hangs in folds across the building, much like a piece of fabric, increasing privacy while allowing for natural light and views.

These installations are all pretty stunning in their own right and demonstrate the versatility of stainless steel wire or mesh for external facade applications.

Do you have an external facade project you’d like to discuss? Please get in touch!