Fabrik by Shildan
The Shildan Group launched their new architectural ‘textile’ façade product Fabrik at the AIA Convention in April 2016.
Described as ‘boldly innovative’ and ‘category-bending’, Fabrik can be fixed to any wall structure, providing an expansive, prefabricated sheet system which creates an instant façade or interior screen.
Shildan Group suggest the Fabrik system has ‘virtually limitless construction applications in both commercial and residential design’, and it can be customised for elements such as pavements, roofing, pergolas, and shading screens.
The flexible stainless steel framework of every sheet – or swath - makes the system easy to instal. The sheets can be folded in pallets or rolled into coils for easy storage and transportation. Once on site, installation can be achieved quickly by fixing entire sheets, as opposed to the traditional method of installing individual façade units.
Inset into the sheets, component ‘elements’ can be formed in ‘virtually any geometric pattern’, allowing for decorative creativity and aesthetic individuality. These elements can be terracotta, glass, timber or composite materials, all capable of being customised in colour, finish and density.
The Fabrik system is easy to maintain as it is mortarless, and so sheets can be collected easily for repair. A specialised ‘element tool’ also allows for the replacement of single element units rather than whole sections.
Shildan’s terracotta rainscreen and sunscreen systems have been used on more than 300 projects across the world, by architects such as Renzo Piano, FXFowle, and COOKFOX.
For more information, see Shildan.
All images copyright Shildan.
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Whether shading a building, animating façades or enclosing enlarged outdoor space,