Metal fabrics: Wall & balustrade, UCLA

When redesigning the entrance area of the Student Activities Center at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the architects Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates selected metal fabrics from GKD to clad the stairwell with a mesh wall that extends to form a balustrade while also functioning as an architectural element that divides the space. Two types of metal mesh were used for this.

Over more than two floors, 100 m² of Sambesi stainless steel mesh spreads to form a curved mesh wall that serves as fall guard protection for the stairwell and its balustrade. The semitransparent, translucent fabric with a total of 15 curved panels also separates the lounge and the entry of the building from adjacent rooms. A copper mesh spanned behind the metal fabric lends the construction its special feel. In combination with the lighting in the entryway, fascinating light effects are created on the reflective mesh surface.