Stainless steel materials such as Jakob Webnet mesh and wire rope cables do not have to be purely functional. They can support and even enhance a structure’s architectural design.
This includes where they are used in internal and external facades, barriers, art installations, catenary lighting and more.
These products are customisable and can be sized to suit the needs of a project. They can also be coloured to blend in or stand out.
Here are three projects demonstrating stainless steel use in architectural design.
1. 60 Castlereagh Street, Sydney
The owners of this premier commercial property wanted a way to suspend 700 or so timber rings as a unique facade feature around the building’s foyer.
The rings needed to stand out, so it was important the supporting structure was invisible. To make this happen, we used a series of 5mm wire cables with a span of 20m. These were used in combination with a mix of Jakob parts and custom-made elements designed to make the overall installation appear effortless and natural.
Stainless steel cabling is an ideal material for this type of task due to its high load capacity and minimalist appearance. It can support facade greenery or artistic elements without obstructing or interfering with design intent.
We think the finished facade looks pretty striking from both inside and outside the building – almost as if it’s floating!
2. The Banksia playground at Wellington Square, Perth
At Tensile, we’ve installed mesh safety barriers on numerous kids’ playgrounds around the country. Webnet mesh is ideal for kids play equipment due to its malleability, which enables it to conform to complex geometric shapes. At the same time, the material is extremely hardy and low-maintenance – particularly important for withstanding playground rough and tumble!
Our latest playground project is in Perth, and it features some fantastic equipment for kids. This includes a water playground, flying fox, skateboard areas, tubular slides and trampolines.
Our brief was to install the safety mesh on the climbing equipment, which has been designed to look like a banksia flower and coloured in bright yellow and orange to suit. For this we used 40mm aperture mesh made from 1.5mm stainless steel wire, coloured to match the steel work and design.
The finished project demonstrates how safety barriers don’t have to be boring – they can be made as vibrant or as subtle as you like!
3. Basketball court at Inner Sydney High School
Tensile was engaged to install barriers for the rooftop basketball court at this new high school in Surry Hills.
For this project, we used 40mm aperture Jakob Webnet rated for heavy crowds. The mesh needed to span across 26m, which presented some challenges as there was no existing support. To remedy this, we designed a post and cable supporting structure for the mesh.
While the finished barrier is extremely robust and meets all safety codes, it also looks lightweight and integrates really well with the building.
Need to know more about stainless steel use in architectural design?
If you’d like to find out more about the application of stainless-steel products in architectural design, or you have a project in mind, give our team a call or get in touch by online message.
