Stainless-steel cables can provide a solution for many types of architectural projects – ranging from green facades and vertical gardens to catenary lighting installations.
Stainless steel is particularly well-suited to installations subject to natural forces such as strong winds and changing weather conditions, due to its strength and versatility.
Stainless steel cables for green facades
A multi-storey green facade requires a strong support structure to withstand the elements and the weight of the plants and materials.
Stainless-steel cables or ropes, supported by rods, connectors and other components, provide an ideal solution. The wire ropes can be configured vertically as columns or in crosshatch formations to support climbing plants, planter boxes or container plants. This creates a low-maintenance structure designed to support the greenery for many years after installation.
Vertical gardens
Not all vertical gardens hang off the side of a building – they can also be freestanding, as in Foley Rest Park in Sydney.
Horizontal or vertical stainless-steel wire ropes offer an effective solution for supporting climbing and elevated greenery, and for creating a pergola-like structure for shade and rest.
Catenary lighting
Stainless-steel cables are often utilised in catenary lighting installations to light up outdoor spaces such as laneways, courtyards or walking tracks.
Rather than using poles to support the lighting system – which would intrude into the space – the cables are attached to building walls or canopies to create an unobtrusive lighting display that also facilitates safety.
Fall protection systems
Structures such as bridges, carparks, playgrounds and balconies require fall protection systems to keep people safe. Stainless-steel webnet mesh is an ideal material for these types of applications due to its strength and malleability.
However, it can also serve an aesthetic as well as a functional purpose – by being used to support climbing plants, planter boxes or decorative elements on buildings.
It can also be used to divide up spaces in homes in place of solid walls – such as in the Acute House project in Melbourne.
To find out how stainless-steel cables can be utilised in your next architectural project, get in touch with us for a discussion.
