The key advantages of building tension systems or tensile structures include:
- Metal fabric panels that can be woven in sizes up to 20' wide by 200' long
- Flat panels that are mounted vertically to a building facade require structural support at the top and the bottom of each panel only. Intermediate locations require minimal support and are designed to maintain consistent distance between the metal fabric panels and the face of the building
- Tension panels can be designed as fall protection systems, to provide hurricane window protection and to provide bomb blast protection for buildings designed with blast mitigation
- Tension screens can be provided with more than 50% open area, and are ideal for open structures like parking garage facades
Building tension systems using architectural mesh Facade systems that incorporate metal fabric offer significant advantages in both performance and cost for building design. For example, architectural mesh facades have become an ideal solution for parking garage facades. The ability to provide a facade made of large panels, that require minimal embedded structural support within the parking garage facade, are available with over 50% open area. With good air flow and circulation, the need for costly HVAC systems can be eliminated. And, by designing parking garage facades as fall protection systems, architectural mesh facade tensile structures are a value proposition for parking garage facades. On the other hand, architectural louvers, grilles and screen systems are limited by design and structural requirements. Tension fabric systems have limited open area percentages and are thus limited in use for open structure design.
As building design trends towards environmentally responsible design continue to gain momentum, metal fabric architectural mesh Facade systems offer significant impact advantages. Stainless steel requires minimal maintenance and cleaning after installation. The life cycle of stainless products far outlasts that of alternative finished facade products. Even the manufacturing process for architectural mesh Facade systems, a cold forming process, generates less environmental impact than the process for heat treated products.
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