Accent Textures: Using Mesh Architecturally

Wire mesh is much used as a functional item that can control access points, create a visual barrier and even be used to keep livestock in place, but it is also a tool for building designers. Adding another textural palette to what architects already have at their disposal, mesh fencing can be utilised in a number of creative ways. Wire fencing makes a great source material for a balustrade, for example, but it need not stop there! Let's take a closer look at the advantages that wire mesh offer designers who want to modernise the look of their buildings and public spaces.

• Semi-Opaque Borders

A brick wall may define one zone of a building in a very certain way, but it is utterly inflexible. On the other hand, mesh fencing products can provide an obvious border which marks one place off from another but which remains translucent enough for people to see through. This creates a much less formal structure in a building. It turns an individual space into one area, visually speaking, but still allows people to hear and see into the next space. You can use it to restrict access in any way you want but still have neighbouring spaces feel fully connected with one another. Want to rearrange the configuration? Mesh can be easily taken down and reorientated to provide a new layout as need change.

• Cooling Aeration

When mesh is used to create borders or walls, it offers the benefit of greater airflow. This can be of use in places where there is limited availability of air-conditioning units or ducting. When mesh is used to create a zone in an outside space, such as a plaza, seating areas become much less like heat traps because the mesh allows breezes to naturally pass through them.

• Flexibility of Use and Maintenance

Mesh comes in many forms and can be altered to a bespoke design if wanted, too. Differing colours and finishes are possible as well as metallic components which can be arranged vertically, horizontally or diagonally. When used for a wall feature, a partition or a staircase balustrade, mesh is perfectly at home in either interior or exterior design. It is easy to clean and requires virtually no maintenance regime.

• Lighting Design

Modern light fittings can all look a little bland these days. However, a mesh surround that covers a relatively utilitarian fitting not only provides a damage protection measure, but also allows light to be dispersed and refracted in new and interesting ways. Used appropriately, mesh will improve the architectural feel of a lighting design to make an interior of a corporate headquarters, for example, feel more like it has its own, unique identity.