Tag Archives for: GKD Metal Fabrics

GKD Secondary Finishes Provide Designers with Full Spectrum of Color

August 31, 2020

 

 

 

GKD Secondary Finishes Provide Designers with Full Spectrum of Color

 

 

 

Cambridge, MD – GKD Metal Fabrics, the leading provider of architectural metal mesh, now offers designers and specifiers an unlimited array of color coating options when designing with metal fabric. Powder coating, specialty painting and also screen printing are used for adding color to stainless steel wire mesh, results in colorful fabric options that are also resistant to extreme heat, cold, bending and flexing.

 

“For designers who want the functional advantages of stainless steel mesh, but want to explore a color palette beyondthe alloy’s signature silver, powder coating and other painting methods solve all challenges at once,” explains DarrenBromwell, GKD-USA Estimating Manager / Coatings Specialist.

 

 

GKD offers a handful of secondary finishing techniques when it comes to colors and surfaces:

  • Powder Coating Process – With an exclusive partnership now in place, GKD offers an automated and cost-effective means to apply color to metal fabric using continuous process color In this method, the mesh issubjected to a rigorous cleaning regimen that includes an ionic bath to remove any and all dust, dirt, oil and otherparticles from the surface. Then, high-grade pigment powders are applied to the charged material (the mesh)and heated to create a powerful bond. This process allows any quantity of wires to be permanently color-

 

 

 

coated and depending on the mesh, enables panel dimensions of up to 20 feet by 6 feet horizontally. In addition tostandard colors, GKD can custom match a provided color sample.

  • Wet Coating Process – Similar to automotive painting, pre-cut meshes are coated using a paint spraying Used primarily on smaller sized mesh panels, this allows an even coating with a high surface quality. Inaddition to the colors available in the Natural Color System® (NCS), GKD can also analyze individual colorsamples and reproduce them as custom finish. A comprehensive range of colors used by the automobileindustry are also available to produce metallic effects.
  • Screen Printing and Digital Printing – GKD applies these methods when the design calls for a reproductionof complex and/or colored graphics onto a metal fabric

 

 

GKD’s custom capability and turnkey technical consultation are combined to help the architect determine the bestand most effective method of color coating, keeping key specification criteria in mind. This includes geographic location,exposure to sun, moisture and other elements, as well as aesthetic considerations such as viewing distance, angle andreadability. GKD applies its many decades of innovative metal mesh fabrication and installation to guide the specifier inthe optimal use of its vast product options and finishes.

 

For more information on color and other secondary finishes, visit http://www.gkdmetalfabrics.com or call 800.453.8616.

 

About GKD Metal Fabrics

As the leading provider of woven metal fabric for architectural solutions, GKD Metal Fabrics offers architects the ability to create dynamic, modern environments that address numerous building challenges. Drawing on more than 95 years ofGerman engineering excellence and precise American manufacturing, GKD revolutionized the category of metal fabricapplications. With thousands of interior and exterior installations constructed worldwide, architects and specifiersrecognize GKD as the metal fabric authority. Headquartered in Germany, GKD has five other facilities in the US, SouthAfrica, China, India and Chile – as well as branches in France, Spain, Dubai and worldwide representatives.

GKD Metal Fabrics: Airport Architecture Ready for Takeoff: New Design Horizons with Metal Fabric

March 03, 2020

 

Airport Architecture Ready for Takeoff: New Design Horizons with Metal Fabric

 

 

 

Cambridge, MD – Modern airport architecture is both challenging and prestigious. With rapidly increasingpassenger numbers – 4.1 billion transported worldwide in 2017 alone – architects and designers of these high-profileprojects are adapting to visitors’ needs by tailoring amenities and design accordingly. In the competition for attracting air travelers, airports are transforming a dated and utilitarian model of transportation to one that is more hospitality-driven, with sophisticated design and a full range of passenger offerings.

As airports continue to up the ante in traveler amenities, consumer expectations of airport offerings will alsocontinue to rise. For airport owners and operators – which in the United States is made up almost entirely of federal, stateand local governments – economic constraint is often a key factor in design decisions. To this end, rental income from retail,restaurant and other hospitality services like salons become indispensable when it comes to financing upgrades and newconstruction.

One element of this evolving design strategy is applying new product innovation to accomplish highly technical,functional yet elegant design solutions. Of the many products that are developing in advance of airport architecture, metalfabric as a material provides a range of design solutions for many areas of these complex transportation hubs. Whetherit is an expansion and upgrade to meet consumer demand or regulatory requirements or altogether new construction,metal fabrics are becoming an established standard in global airport architecture.

 

Key Material Benefits:

  • A limitless range of design options for façades, ceilings, walls, and parking garages which balancesaesthetic value with functionality and return on
  • With weavable dimensions of 26 feet (8 meters) in width and more than 328 feet (100 meters) in length, metalfabrics are ideal for the design of these large, sophisticated
  • Besides a wide range of fabric weaves, design visions can also be realized through colored surfaces and
  • Stainless steel fabric makes a valuable contribution to gaining sustainability certificates, as it supportsoptimization of building energy consumption, long service life, and material-specific
  • Transparent media façade systems, such as MEDIAMESH® and ILLUMESH from GKD, combine thebenefits of a high-performance LED display for advertising and entertainment with technical properties oftransparency and

 

 

Exterior Façades

In the mid-90s, a parking garage façade made of GKD metal fabric at Terminal II of Cologne Bonn Airport represented anarchitectural turning point for the design of transportation architecture. Used as parking garage cladding, GKD metalmesh allows proper ventilation, protection from the elements, and natural daylight illumination, while lending theselarge façades a particularly expressive and tactile materiality.

For example, some 27,000 square feet of LAGO fabric encapsulates the parking garage at Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles. Large letters attached to the metal fabric form the word Flyaway, underlining the airport’s brand identity.Parking garages at London Heathrow, as well as the airports in Barcelona, Brisbane and Madrid are also clad in GKDmetal fabric.

This multifunctional material is also widely used on terminal exteriors. Airports such as Paris- Charles de Gaulle andLondon Stansted gain their singular look from metal fabric which also meets demands in energy efficiency, user comfort, and security. Spain’s major airport, Madrid Barajas, enveloped two control towers with more than 17,000 square feet ofESCALE 7×1 stainless steel fabric. At Adelaide Airport in Australia, some 22,000 square feet of TIGRIS stainless steelfabric were used for the extended and slanted façade of a corridor connecting the terminal with the parking garage.

Recently, Newark Liberty International Airport applied 25,400 square feet of OMEGA 1510 stainless steelmesh as perimeter fencing for its transformer station. An etching process was used to apply a generous wave patternto the fabric. Despite its graceful design, stainless steel mesh is highly resilient, withstanding adverse weatherconditions and vandalism.

 

 

Elegant Ceiling Design

In airport interiors, stainless steel fabric is a highly successfulspecification due to its multifunctionality and versatility. Used as asuspended ceiling, metal fabric hides unsightly HVAC systems while maintaining access. The non-combustible material also meets the strict safety requirements of public buildings. Examples of this applicationinclude:

  • At the Hong Kong International Airport Midfield Concourse, architects designed 24 three- dimensional, curved elements made of ESCALE 5×1 fabric to trace massive ceiling
  • In the new passenger terminal at Muscat International Airportin Oman, curved panels attached to steel construction formsemi-

transparent canopies over moving walkways. These freely suspended ceiling elements, each measuring140 feet in length, harmonize with the metal fabric elements applied to three nearby raster ceilings, as well asa projecting counter canopy.

  • At the Hilton Frankfurt Airport Hotel, MANDARIN bronze metal fabric shapes a sweeping ceiling construction inthe reception

 

Resilient Wall Cladding

Used as wall or column cladding, metal fabric opens new design opportunities in the field of airport construction. Its robust texture isresistant to the wear and tear of highly trafficked areas, while alsoproducing refined spatial effects when used with back lighting and lightreflections.

For example, at Muscat International Airport, wall cladding madeof LAMELLE fabric and measuring 80 feet high visually enhances theretail area. Nearby, a 90-foot-high and 160-foot-wide ILLUMESH screenacts as a partition wall between two building segments. At DubaiInternational Airport, GKD metal fabric was used as cladding for columnsthat span multiple floors.

 

Multifunctional Space Dividers

Due to metal fabrics’ alternating transparency or opacity based on the respective viewing angle and type of lighting,metal fabrics offer a fascinating appearance for visitors in terminals and lounges when used as space dividers.Transparent media facades, when installed in front of windows or corridors, achieve communication needs yet allowlight transfer and maintain views to the outside.

 

 

  • At New Doha International Airport in Qatar, four MEDIAMESH®screens in the main terminal create an attention-grabbing advertising platform for global luxury goods while its transparency guarantees unobstructed views from the rooms behind
  • At Muscat International Airport, a mixed media screen, which combines the transparent MEDIAMESH® and ILLUMESH media façade systems, marks a transition to the retail
  • Two MEDIAMESH® screens installed at Minneapolis- PaulInternational Airport, each measuring 270 feet, demonstrate effectiveness as passenger information hubs.

 

 

 

About GKD Metal Fabrics

As the leading provider of woven metal fabric for architectural solutions, GKD Metal Fabrics offers architects the ability to create dynamic, modern environments that address numerous building challenges. Drawing on more than 90 years ofGerman engineering excellence and precise American manufacturing, GKD revolutionized the category of metal fabricapplications. With thousands of interior and exterior installations constructed worldwide, architects and specifiersrecognize GKD as the metal fabric authority. With its headquarters in Germany and five other facilities in the US, SouthAfrica, China, India and Chile – as well as its branches in France, Spain, Dubai and worldwide representatives, GKD is close to markets anywhere in the world.

 

For more information, visit www.gkdmetalfabrics.com or call 800.453.8616.

 

GKD METAL FABRICS INTRODUCES ACOUSTIC MESH PANELS FOR SILENT SURFACES

May 08, 2018

GKD METAL FABRICS INTRODUCES ACOUSTIC MESH PANELS FOR SILENT SURFACES

Architects and engineers now have a composite metal fabric option to control acoustics without compromising design 

 

 

CAMBRIDGE, MD. (MAY 8, 2018) – GKD Metal Fabrics is taking its experience designing functional, aesthetic facades to interiors – controlling noise without compromising beauty.

The leading manufacturer of woven metal fabrics, GKD Metal Fabrics recently expanded its portfolio to include Acoustic Mesh Panels. The panels are designed to provide architects with a solution to manage sound levels in their projects.

GKD’s interior aluminum-based panels were designed to improve poor workplace and commercial acoustic environments.

“Acoustics represent a top consideration for architects and designers,” said Tom Bialk, Project Engineer at GKD Metal Fabrics. “How sound is transmitted is one of the first things people notice when entering a building. Our Acoustic Mesh Panels mute unwanted sound and environmental noise, creating a positive introduction to any space.”

The new technology was developed following multiple studies, such as the “Sound Matters” white paper ordered by the General Services Administration (GSA) and a survey of 23,450 respondents from 142 buildings conducted by the Center for the Built Environment (CBE). Both studies found that workplaces are doing a “poor job of providing acoustical comfort,” and “acoustics…caused the greatest dissatisfaction in renovated LEED-certified offices in green facilities.”

Acoustic Mesh Panels incorporate a sag-free, one-inch thick honeycomb support plate, layered with an intermediate blanket of fiber-free acoustic fleece. This dampens noise to a sound absorption value up to aw = 0.9, making them near-silent.

Ceiling fittings, such as lights, downlights and sprinklers are easy to integrate within the Acoustic Mesh Panels. These panels can also be removed and refitted easily for maintenance purposes, making it a sound solution for any architectural design need.

Acoustic Mesh Panels follow GKD’s mission of providing architects and designers with metal fabric solutions that meet both their technical and design needs. Acoustic Mesh Panels have already helped a variety of spaces manage their sound while providing an extraordinary design, including the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts in Kansas City and Tonhalle Düsseldorf music planetarium in Düsseldorf, Germany.

To learn more about acoustic ceiling panel solutions, visit GKD Metal Fabrics.

 

About GKD

In 1925, a group of innovative German engineers created what would later become the most advanced technical weaving mill of metal fabrics for filtration and industrial use. As the company grew, the world’s most functional and visually engaging material architects and designers would ever have the opportunity to specify evolved — metal fabric. To this day, GKD continues to revolutionize how architectural structures are enhanced aesthetically, augmented functionally and optimized economically. Our industry expertise and involvement extends to the many associations and groups we serve. To learn more, visit www.gkdmetalfabrics.com