Balustrading Facilitated by Expanded Metal Mesh

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Balustrading is a functional feature of a building, but thanks to the advanced technology that The Expanded Metal Company (EMC) employs in the manufacture of its specialist product range, it can also be used as a major design feature in its own right, combining practicality with eye catching aesthetic appeal.

Expanded metal mesh has a number of advantages over other materials traditionally associated with balustrading. First is its strength - the mesh is formed from a single continuous sheet, which provides additional strength. The uncut knuckles of the product allow it to withstand stress better than welds or joints, making it ultra secure at any height level. When suitably coated, it is also super corrosion resistant, performing better than welded or woven metal, due to the jointless continuity of the mesh.

However, it is the design potential of expanded mesh that opens up a wealth of creative choice and opportunity for the architect, as Michelle Todd of EMC explains. "We can offer an almost limitless selection of colours, patterns, designs and sizes to meet any architectural style," she comments "The mesh has controllable contours that make it exceptionally flexible and able to be moulded into shapes and features that is not possible with comparable materials. This renders it ideal for stairwell and balcony balustrading."

Mesh can be manufactured in a variety of textures with a wealth of patterns for a vast variety of applications, with any ductile material able to be expanded to a range of thicknesses and patterns, from traditional diamonds to squares, hexagons to parallel strands. For architectural purposes, expanded metal mesh can be finished with a range of specialist coatings - powder coated, painted, galvanised, anodised and coloured to blend in with any environment. Also the process of expanded metal mesh reveals the advantage of reducing waste generated from the process, hence achieving significant cost savings against comparable steel sheets. 40% of all expanded metal is made directly from recycled material. Subsequently the tiny amount of waste produced during manufacture is sold on for recycling.

On all levels, expanded metal mesh offers the perfect solution for balustrading as it is both safely practical and visually appealing, with a versatility which will accommodate even the most adventurous designer. Applications to date include the Manhattan Shopping Centre in Poland, the Tollbooth development in Stirling, Scotland and numerous other applications where the architects have recognised the value of expanded mesh as a cost effective, environmentally considerate material for the manufacture of strong and aesthetically attractive balustrading.


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