MAILLE MÉTALLIQUE – Metal Mesh: How metal mesh has redefined architecture

5. June 2025

Architecture, Europe

Dominique Perrault and Gaëlle Lauriot-Prévost are publishing their two-volume work MAILLE MÉTALLIQUE – Metal Mesh: The Story of Weaving on June 5, 2025. The book documents the creation of a new architectural material and pays tribute to the Franco-German collaboration between Dominique Perrault Architecture (DPA) and GKD – Gebr. The publication is being published to coincide with GKD’s 100th anniversary and comprises around 2,000 pages in German, French and English.

A new material for architecture

The success story began in 1993: Dominique Perrault was looking for a durable, non-combustible and aesthetic material for the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF). In the neighboring country of Germany, in Düren of all places, he found a partner in GKD who not only understood his visionary ideas, but was also able to implement them technically. GKD developed customized stainless steel mesh especially for BnF, setting new standards in quality, aesthetics and functionality.

Art historian Barry Bergdoll from Columbia University describes the project as the “first chapter in the more than 35-year intertwining of metal mesh and monumental architecture”.

Voices of the partners: Courage and creativity

Dominique Perrault recalls: “In order to design a metal mesh for architecture, the limits of existing techniques had to be overcome. The combination of cutting-edge technology and architecture led to an endless spiral of studies, prototypes and experiments. An untouched area opened up in which an industrial product came to life through architecture.”

Gaëlle Lauriot-Prévost emphasizes the design variety: “Metal mesh offers architects and designers almost unlimited possibilities. Depending on the scale, they can look like a curtain, a drape, a veil or a net – but also, conversely, like a grid, a panel or a tile.”

Groundbreaking partnership projects

The close collaboration between DPA and GKD has resulted in important buildings worldwide. In addition to the Bibliothèque nationale de France, these include the extension of the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, the Stade Roland Garros and the Poste du Louvre in Paris. Perrault regularly relied on GKD’s expertise, particularly when it came to solving technical challenges in line with architectural visions.

GKD on the importance of partnership

Dr. Stephan Kufferath, former CSO and current member of the Supervisory Board of GKD – Gebr. Kufferath AG, became aware of the then still young French architect in the early 1990s. Together with his brother Ingo Kufferath, they were the first company in the wire weaving industry to develop a division for architecture and design. “Without the close collaboration with Dominique Perrault and Gaëlle Lauriot-Prévost, GKD would not be the company it is today. Their visionary power and our shared desire to break new ground have had a lasting impact on our self-image as a driver of innovation,” says Stephan Kufferath today.