March 2020

Metal screens have plenty of practical applications in residential and commercial structures. These screens can serve as a decoration, a functional component of the building or fulfil both roles at the same time.

Whether fabricated as a standard size panel or customised for unique projects, metal screens can address a wide range of widespread aesthetic and practical needs. There are also some less common applications in which these screens can be just as useful. Let's look at a few of them:

Metal screens can be deployed in a wide variety of shapes, colours, and orientations.

1. Branding and identification

Decorative metal screens may not be the first thing that comes to mind when your business starts to consider opportunities around branding your building or helping visitors identify it. But improvements in the tools and processes used to create screens have led to a variety of options on this front.

Our Pic Perf screens offer the opportunity to faithfully reproduce many logos, images and abstract patterns with a high degree of accuracy. There are few limits when it comes to implementing a custom design on a Pic Perf screen. Whether you want to use a wordmark or an image that makes your building's purpose clear, you can work with our team of experts to craft a solution that aligns with your goals.

With the right design factors taken into account, Pic Perf can also offer many of the practical benefits of metal screens. That includes benefits like protection from direct sun exposure and maximised airflow.

2. Privacy and protection

The need for privacy exists in settings ranging from restaurants and shopping centres to apartment buildings and office blocks. The right degree of separation from the outside world doesn't always require locked doors and windowless rooms, however.

Privacy screens can provide a happy medium between a bunker-like atmosphere and total exposure to the outside world. They limit visibility without completely cutting off the rest of an office floor or commercial space, creating a sense of openness that takes the aesthetics of a given area into account. When paired with a glass partition, screens can provide an effective barrier in terms of both visibility and sound.

Using metal screens for privacy isn't limited to internal applications, either. Facilities like medical centres, schools and many others can utilise laser-cut screen options to create a sense of separation without eliminating access to sunlight or visibility into the local area.

3. Balustrades

A balustrade is made up of a railing that's held securely in place by a support rising from the ground. While vertical columns are the first thought for many when it comes to balustrades, there are many options for decoration as well as functional support. Perforated screens can add a unique element to what is often simply a functional part of a building. Adding ornamentation to a transitional space like a stairwell can make the experience of moving through them a little more enjoyable.

4. Regulating temperature and sunlight exposure

Modern architectural screens tend to have an impressive appearance, whether they're made of expanded metal mesh, woven wire or a number of other materials. This is often the first thing an employee, visitor or passer-by will notice as they approach a structure. However, it's far from the only reason to include a screen in your construction or renovation plan.

Screens have a core practical function when placed outside exterior windows or in interior spaces that face substantial exposure to sunlight. By filtering sunlight without completely blocking it, metal screens can help to regulate temperature and exposure to sunlight. While some people who visit or work in a building may never notice the practical benefits of a metal screen used in this fashion, they'll more than likely enjoy the result.

5. Roofing

You wouldn't use a metal screen to cover the top of a building, of course. But what about an outdoor space for staff to enjoy their breaks, or an open green included in part of an outdoor shopping centre?

Using screens as roof replacements can offer practical and aesthetic benefits. Laser cut, perforated and many other types of metal screens can limit sun exposure without eliminating it, providing an enjoyable mix of light and shade. Pairing metal screens with a central walkway or seating area that includes a traditional roof structure can help protect employees, customers and visitors from the elements when needed, while offering a unique space on days with nicer weather.

Getting started with your own unique plans for metal screens

Whether you want to use the most traditional metal screen possible or have a truly unique idea for a design or application, you need a trustworthy provider who can assist you throughout the process. To learn more about your many options for metal screens, get in touch with our team of experts today.

A successful construction or renovation project has to ensure structural integrity and general usability above everything else. But a perfectly functional and safe building will leave something to be desired without a strong visual identity.

Aesthetics are a vital consideration when engaging in new construction or managing a major overhaul of an existing building. The right approach can make your structure more recognisable and memorable to everyone who interacts with it, whether in passing or on a daily basis.

Decorative metal is an excellent option for project managers who want to address the need for strong aesthetics. There are many different choices available, from bespoke designs to standardised patterns, in a variety of materials. Decorative metal can be implemented across a structure's exterior as well as in various internal applications. Whether your project needs cladding, a unique facade, engaging interior design work, or a mix of these design elements, there are a wide variety of decorative metal applications to consider.

Let's look at a handful of dependable, flexible, and eye-catching ways you can add flair to your next project through decorative metal.

Laser

Laser-cut designs in a substrate metal allow for many abstract or representational images and patterns to be faithfully replicated. Recent advances in technology, tools and processes mean laser designs can go far beyond regular or repeated shapes and designs. There are still best practices to keep in mind for ensuring a design isn't so intricate that it causes issues with cutting or the long-term stability of the finished product. Locker is here to help you streamline complicated designs and imagery to ensure the end result is of the highest quality.

Whether your plan focuses on a handful of small panels in key areas or dozens of them stretching across an interior or exterior wall, laser cutting can create intricate images and clean, eye-pleasing shapes. Combined with the many options available for coating and painting laser-cut metal, you can realise a wide variety of results.

Atmosphere panels bring together color, shape, and texture to support a building's aesthetic.

Atmosphere

An intriguing facade makes a great first impression to visitors, guests, workers, and residents. These architectural elements also serve practical purposes. With the right facade, a building can reduce its exposure to sunlight and heat, lowering cooling costs and making areas from offices to car parks more comfortable for those that use them.

Decorative metal used as a facade can evoke a recognisable form or abstract concept through perforations in the substrate layer as well as larger three-dimensional shapes made by aligning panels at an angle or crafting panels with ridges. Colour and finish also play crucial roles. Our Atmosphere offering takes all of these design considerations into account, providing you with a facade that closely aligns with your vision and needs. And detailed work by our engineering teams allows for fast and dependable installation.

Pic Perf

Perforated metal offers a number of advantages in terms of practicality and design. Pic Perf maintains the functional advantages, like regulating exposure to sunlight, with a more complex and powerful visual component. Our Pic Perf process allows you to incorporate imagery into metal sheets through perforations. Our detailed approach allows you to essentially print your company wordmark or logo, a visual representation of the building's purpose, or an abstract design onto metal sheets. The scale at which Pic Perf is created means a high degree of detail is possible.

These panels can serve as a partial or complete facade or as an accent piece, wall, or partial barrier on the inside of a building. The many options available for utilising Pic Perf make it that much more valuable when choosing key design elements for a new project.

Woven Wire Mesh

Wire mesh may sound simple compared to the other options we've reviewed, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Woven wire is available in many different substrates and designs, from the most traditional grids to much more detailed and uncommon weaves and patterns. Mesh offers many of the practical benefits that perforated metal provides in terms of limiting visibility and regulating exposure to sunlight. Coating and painting options offer additional opportunities for customisation. Wire mesh is an effective way to make a new project or major renovation stand out from other structures in the area.

Adding flair to your next project with a top-notch partner

At Locker, we provide a variety of perforated metal and wire mesh products focused on boosting design aesthetics and introducing a sense of flair to new construction projects and major renovations. With our industry experience, skilled technicians, carefully calibrated processes, and end-to-end support, you have a partner you can count on. To learn more, get in touch with one of our experts today.