Recent Projects
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Cladding – Saana Architects - The New Museum Of Contemporary Art , New York USA Expanded aluminium cladding system. The outer skin of this 7 storey building is clad in expanded metal. |
The bright aluminium surface catches the light, reflecting the changing moods of every day throughout the year.
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The significance of this is that, when sprayed concrete is applied to the supporting structure, to create a shaped or sculptured surface, the amount of concrete used can be greatly reduced. This has the combined benefits of reducing material costs, shortening application times (and therefore labour costs), and keeping the weight of the finished surface to a minimum. Around 10,000m2 of mesh was used in the first project, Future System’s Selfridges store in Birmingham, also known as “The Whale”.
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The 115mm x 48mm mesh size and very wide strand width means that light is allowed through in one direction but not the other. This invaluable feature is unique to expanded metal mesh, and has meant it has been used in a variety of cutting edge projects since.
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During the day the panels appear to be solid copper and prevent solar heat gain. In the evening the light spills out from inside the building creating a more open. almost transparent, effect.
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Second picture shows balustrading at the Fruit Market Gallery
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A medium duty, flattened, galvanised steel mesh was used, giving optimum open area to allow sound energy into the absorbing material fixed behind it. The oversize panels were polyester powder coated dark blue to match the surrounding metalwork.
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Securilath gives you the opportunity to “build-in” maximum security. Easily fixed to brickwork, blockwork, stud partitioning, ceiling joists and roofs in metal or timber, Securilath drastically reduces the risk of forced intrusion and has LPCB accreditation. Ideal for safe-rooms, banks and computer rooms etc, Securilath has a dedicated brochure, available from here |
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Heavy duty expanded metal walkways are suitable for use in both domestic and industrial applications. Available in a range of materials with varying properties, including Supagrip™ expanded metal walkways offer a cost effective and sustainable solution for access areas, balconies, walkways and wheelchair access ramps. |
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Balustrade – The Expanded Metal Company Hartlepool A range of diamond and patterned flattened meshes can be framed with u section to make complete ballustrade panels. |
A painted or galvanised finish offers a weatherproof protection. Balustrade shown is on the reception building of The Expanded Metal Company, Hartlepool featuring our Marketing Manager, Michelle Todd.
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Chris Sutton from Blueprint praised EMCo’s response “As we were let down by our initial supplier, we thought that the whole mesh aspect of the project would have to be shelved. However we called the Expanded Metal Company who visited us with suitable samples within a few hours of our call.’ He continued ‘We were impressed with their immediate response and understanding of our requirements, coupled with the diverse range of off the shelf options.
The Expanded Metal Company are a dynamic flexible company with traditional customer service values. They would certainly be our first choice for future mesh projects.’
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The mesh was formed into trays and framed with a U edging section to improve strength and were polyester powder coated grey to complement the surroundings. The mesh used was ref. 1294 with UF19 edging.
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Sunscreen: More 4 London – Foster & Partners. Foster & Partners wanted to screen a plant equipment area on the roof of phase 4 of the More Development on London`s South Bank. |
The main criteria was that the plant room area would be screened from ground level, yet let sufficient airflow through to allow for cooling and ventilation of equipment. Expanded Metal Co worked closely with the design team to develop an new mesh specification based on a walkway profile, but having a heavy strand and a controlled aperture. To minimise weight, aluminium was used .
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Our wind protection barriers are a classic. Not only do they meet the most exacting safety requirements for protecting people, vehicles, freight, and buildings from air currents, they also help avoid damage to aircraft turbines from recirculation of air currents. An additional benefit is the ideal enclosure of hangars and walkways.
This SORST product is used at most of the world’s airports today.
The combination of reliable protection with almost unrestricted vision has been a key contributor to its success. And transferring it into different positions is easy and uncomplicated.
We also offer the wind protection barriers with louvers as an option.
The expanded metal or louvers are enclosed in sturdy steel frames and hot-dip galvanized, or powder-coated on request. The expanded metal, frames, and concrete foundations or anchors are designed based on the respective air currents. The height of the wind protection barriers depends on the hangar, type of aircraft, and the height of the building or vehicles to be protected.
Please provide the above information when inquiring about wind protection barriers. In most cases we have the appropriate solutions readily available.
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Working with Osel Architects, we used the new square mesh range to create Juliet Balcony infill panels and gate panels on a new residential property. This was the first time this mesh was used and we worked with the metal worker to get the right sizes. |
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Floating pontoons are used to access the moored vessels. Traditionally these have been constructed entirely from wood, but this means much time and money needs to spent on maintaing them. Stuart discovered that by using expanded metal on the walkways not only could he provide a light weight slip resistant walkway, he could also save money initially and reduce the likelihood of expensive repairs in the future.
Expanded metal offers significant advantages in terms of strength to weight, enabling it to withstand heavy foot traffic whilst being light enough to be used on the floating pontoons. Cost savings on similar materials are also impressive, expanded metal is made from a single piece of metal; cut and stretched to form a mesh with little or no waste, meaninig a little metal can make a lot of mesh.
There was one other reason why expanded metal was so suitable for this project; supplied in sheets the mesh is simply fixed to the pontoon. Should a sheet of mesh become damaged it can simply be lifted out and replaced with a new sheet, while the old sheet is recycled.
Titchmarsh Marina in Walton, Essex has also benefiited from expanded metal in the same application and several other marinas across mainland Europe have also discovered that versatile expanded metal can lend itself perfectly to such applications.
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EMC customer Allan Roofing are particularly proud of this project – one of London’s biggest mixed use projects of recent years – not only for the sheer volume of mesh used, but because it provided such a neat finish to such a prestigious project. Gavin Minnis, Procurement Manager for Allan Roofing comments “we are extremely pleased with all of the projects where the expanded metal walkway has been utilized, and will continue to use it as a fundamental component in future projects.”
He continues “We chose EMC product because of the obvious high quality and the fact that the standard sheet sizes fit our design perfectly. The systems are assembled off site, transported in 2.4m lengths (same as the sheets provided) and ‘clipped’ directly to the roof sheet, preventing unnecessary penetrations which undermine the roofs integrity”.
Allan Roofing have already used the system on many other high profile clients including Pfizer and Arsenal Football Club. Just some of the reasons for the popularity of this system are, Gavin explains, “it’s straightforward appearance, the fact it is ready for exterior use without any additional painting or preparation and it matches the Stucco/Mill aluminium roof finish, a very popular and appealing look within the roofing industry.”
Certainly, when Andy Foster and Deanne Malton of EMC’s marketing team visited site recently they were delighted with the quality of the work on display.
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The RICS judges were very impressed by what they saw, commenting that the overall effect of the project was astonishing and that “the whole locality is transformed.”
Referring specifically to the Expanded Metal façade, Barry Woodman, chairman of the RICS award’s London Assessors said: “It provides a practical, utilitarian and relatively cost effective outer shield, while maintaining an attractive appearance. We were impressed by the careful detailing, and the design of the outer shutter to the main doors was very clever and innovative.”
Meanwhile, for designers Eger Architects, partner Selina Hamilton said: “The facility is for local residents and the wider community, addressing inequalities in education and skill, health and employment opportunities. The client wanted a façade solution that provided high security at night and a robust exterior.”
The entire sports project, with Durkan Pudelek as main contractor, took just 12 months to complete. The expanded metal mesh was engineered by The Expanded Metal Company’s close partners, cladding specialists, James & Taylor Ltd, who were instructed by the architect to find a material that protected against rain, sun, and unwanted attempts at entry. Taking the sheets of, expanded mesh, James & Taylor fabricated them into frames, allowing each section of anodised mesh to be securely fixed to the structure, creating a hard wearing reflective finish. They were supplied to the installation subcontractor, Steel Options, who in turn installed the mesh façade on behalf of the main Contractor
Andy Foster, Head of Marketing at The Expanded Metal Company commented, “The use of expanded metal mesh is attracting the attention of ever more architects as its raft of qualities are understood more fully. The use of reflective metal, as in the case of the Stonebridge Estate on a large façade ensures that it changes appearance during the course of a day as the weather and natural light conditions alter. “
He added that the aesthetic quality of mesh as a material can be varied according to the choice of a virtually limitless variety in the pattern of the mesh itself.
Architects working in or for the public sector will be further encouraged by the fact that expanded metal mesh’s environmental qualities tick multiple boxes on the sustainability checklist. Its production is not wasteful of the material used. The mesh is created by a process of stretching and slitting the metal rather than punching out holes, so there is minimal waste. In many cases around 40% of the product is manufactured using recycled metals and of course it is itself recyclable when the construction, of which it is part, comes to the end of its useful life.
The mesh is strong yet lightweight and its flexibility adds a range of design possibilities. Any ductile material can be expanded to a range of thicknesses and patterns, from traditional diamonds to squares, hexagons, parallel strands and so forth. It can be finished in a range of specialist coatings – powder-coated, painted, galvanised, anodised and coloured to blend in with any environment.
It also has the appeal of being both a new material in the architectural sense, but a tried and tested one within the field of construction generally. This enables architects with a public sector client to offer designs which are pioneering in concept but that use a material whose characteristics and strengths are well known; a fact that always recommends itself to the risk-averse public project.
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