Transparent Media façades:
19 June 2008
The times when facades were relegated to the shadows when night fell are long gone. Increasingly, the external shells of buildings are being illuminated to draw more attention to the architecture. Controlled lighting, projections, back projections or LED screens have been used to medialize façades since the end of the 80s. The disadvantages of these approaches are that they can only be used at night, that projectors are very expensive and that billboards are often a disfigurement of the facade.
A promising remedy has emerged from a technological-creative collaboration between the Dueren-based metal weaver GKD – Gebr. Kufferath AG and the Cologne-based company ag4 media facade GmbH, who have together developed a stainless steel wire mesh with interwoven LED profiles. Unlike conventional LED-Boards, MEDIAMESH® and ILLUMESH make a transparent media façade possible which follows the lines of any kind of architecture as an apparently seamless outer skin. The view from the outside inwards can be left just as unhindered as the view from the inside of the building outwards. Individually controllable display of content via the Internet renders this second skin dynamic. Depending on its configuration, MEDIAMESH permits the display of images ranging from simple graphics to video quality – by day or night. ILLUMESH is particularly suitable for large-scale, nighttime illumination of façades. The combination of MEDIAMESH und ILLUMESH exploits the inspirational potential of this architecturally integrated, transparent media façade system to the full.
All over the world, architects and builders are fascinated by the textile-like structure of stainless steel wire mesh: Supple, shimmering, opaque or transparent depending on the angle of incidence of the light, these woven metallic fabrics clad the structural shell of the building in a flowing mantle. Wire mesh combines this high class look with decisive functional advantages: enduring resistance to weathering and corrosion, its fire-resistance, easy maintenance and recyclability all qualify the material as a long-lasting protection against sun, wind and rain. Furthermore, used as a climatic membrane GKD's metallic fabric offers crucial added value for intelligent facility management.
The basis for the new product system MEDIAMESH is a cable mesh like, for example, the GKD mesh type "Tigris", which is woven to the specified length and width. At predefined intervals, carrier sleeves are woven into its warp cables. Into these sleeves, special round profiles are inserted which are open at the front and into which LEDs have been sealed with waterproof resin. These profiles are connected by cable. Completely prepared and finished, the MEDIAMESH is transported to the building site ready for installation.
After the installation, the supply of power and data to the LEDs is handled by control units – consisting of a power source and electronic components – which can for example be concealed in the ceiling and connected to a central server located in the building. Once all the cables have been connected, the MEDIAMESH display can be programmed via a media platform and monitored over the Internet – in an unusually generous color depth of 12 bit at a frame rate of 240 Hz.
The type of display required has an effect on the costs, as graphics require a considerably lower resolution than video displays. Each pixel consists of at least three LEDs (red, green, blue). The smaller the horizontal and vertical intervals between these pixels in the profiles are configured, the finer the resolution. The decisive factor is the ratio of horizontal to vertical pixel intervals.
The shorter the viewing distance, the closer the pixels must be to each other to produce a good quality image. With greater viewing distances to the object, the density of the pixels can be reduced. At maximum resolution a minimum viewing distance of 20m is required. With the appropriate resolution a display can be seen from as far away as several kilometers.
In contrast to the LED boards and temporary single pixel systems familiar from large-scale events, MEDIAMESH® is permanently weather and temperature resistant. It could even be installed beneath an ice surface. Especially large surfaces can be accomplished at considerably lower costs. In contrast to LED boards, conventional media formats like 16:9 and 4:3 do not have to be complied with. The lightness of the construction preserves the textile-like transparency of the wire mesh and integrates the medialized outer skin into the architecture of the particular building. Even when it is not switched on, the wire mesh still has a magical effect. As a decorative second skin it reflects its surroundings, setting shimmering accents in the urban landscape.
The second wire mesh type with LED profiles, ILLUMESH, is based on system integrated reflection of light on the mesh. During the weaving process, special fixtures are woven into the mesh panel horizontally at intervals of about 50 to a maximum of 300 cm. After weaving is completed, these fixtures accommodate the same round profiles as in MEDIAMESH. Because of the distance between the round profiles and the mesh, the openings of the profiles can be directed inwards to shine on the mesh. The size of the illuminated area depends on the angle at which the mesh is illuminated. As with MEDIAMESH, the profiles here are also unobtrusively cabled in rows, making the cabling almost invisible.
ILLUMESH is the best choice of media for nighttime illumination of large-scale façades. Creative lighting effects can be achieved using individually programmed lighting concepts appropriate to the particular architecture. Here, too, the relationship of horizontal and vertical pixel intervals determines the quality of the illumination. Compared to conventional lighting systems, ILLUMESH® with its higher image resolution and resistance to weather and temperature excels as a high-performance media surface which can be operated via the Internet.
Combining the two novel, transparent media façade systems opens up especially interesting possibilities. For example, for cost efficiency and customized accentuation it is advisable to configure the wire mesh with zones of different LED resolution and different display technology. The display of simple graphics or color effects can be accomplished with ILLUMESH, while parts of the surface can be equipped with MEDIAMESH to handle letters, logos, symbols or videos. In the planning of a medialized façade using these types of wire mesh, careful conceptualization of content and required technology is essential to ensure a perfect balance between expenditure and performance.
The intelligent interplay of the two transparent mesh systems allows façades to be individually enhanced, both visually and emotionally. In their function as symbols of identity, media façades turn the particular architecture into a vivid experience. They communicate the processive development of corporate identity and accompany it – in a subtle, modern and comprehensible way. Because they can be flexibly yet precisely adjusted to the particular spatial and communicative context, MEDIAMESH and ILLUMESH open up previously unheard of potentials. Woven wire mesh with integrated LED technology infuses the anonymity of public spaces with façade illuminations that are dynamic, individually controllable and perfectly tailored to the particular message and occasion.
