Retrofitting is a trending topic in Europe, as it is a more sustainable alternative than rebuilding. Our Sioen facade meshes are perfect to retrofit and modernise your building. Next to reducing the CO2 impact of the modernisation, the mesh is multifunctional. It updates your building’s look, provides solar protection and has additional properties, such as customisation and privacy protection.
Retrofitting, a needed sustainable transformation
All over the world, sustainable development is becoming more and more popular, with architects and project developers aiming to retrofit existing buildings to deliver energy-efficient and more sustainable projects. In Europe, there is a tendency towards using greener solutions to transform ageing buildings rather than demolishing and reconstructing.
The road to sustainable development is paved by the expectancy that the world population will reach 9.8 billion people in 2050. Combined with the current life standards in Europe, experts estimate that there won’t be enough raw materials to build new projects for that many people.
In the past, outdated buildings were demolished and replaced. Those actions, however, aren’t approved any longer, due to their negative impact on the planet.
Indeed, nearly 40% of all carbon added to the atmosphere is reportedly directly related to the construction of infrastructure, such as buildings and roads. Even if you replace an existing building with a green and significantly more energy-efficient building, it will take more than 20 years for this change to compensate for the carbon impacts of demolishing the old building and constructing the new one.
Retrofitting is certainly to be considered to deliver a sustainable and valuable construction alternative. Of course, the underlying building structure has to be sound and the building has to be liveable to make retrofitting a good option.
Retrofitting, by the way, is “the act of providing a machine with a part, or a place with equipment, that the machine or place did not have when it was built” according the Cambridge Dictionary.
Retrofit your building. A lightweight and durable membrane skin proved to provide a great solution for facade retrofitting. It, thus, provides more than just aesthetic value.
Advantages of our Facade mesh for retrofitting
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You can create a great modern and atemporal facade skin for your building. The skin could be customised with long-lasting digital prints or one of the customised and trendy colour sets from our collection. It gives your building’s front a distinctive image.
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Your project will benefit from a durable image that could be valorised under building and infrastructure sustainability assessment methods (BREEAM , LEED, Greenstar, HQE, CASBEE).
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The CO2 impact of your project is reduced thanks to producing less construction waste, using less raw materials.
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The mesh can reduce the sunlight and glare, creating a comfortable naturally lighted environment.
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Less UV rays entering your building means creating less heat, which decreases the costs of air conditioning in summer.
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The facade construction is super lightweight (less than 1kg/m2 for the membrane) using a simple cladding system on the existing facade structure in some cases.
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It is a flame retardant skin, compliant with the latest regulations worldwide.
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It is a cost-efficient solution
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Facade blinds protect your building from wet weather conditions, as without them, moisture can seep through very small breaks and thus cause rot and rust.
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A facade construction keeps unwanted organisms such as insects and birds out of your building and protects against burglary.
Some of our completed retrofitting projects
TiO3 , an Event and Business Center and a former hospital was retrofitted with a Sioen Facade mesh. A second skin was placed at a 60 cm distance from the original wall. Thanks to the cladding construction, there is almost no sagging on windy days.
The Fricke Saphir retail shop was wrapped with Sioen’s Type 2 Facade mesh. The printed curtain wall has anti-glare and solar management properties. Of course, it also grabs the attention of passers-by. For this project, the textile membranes were tensioned at the outer edges of the building’s facade.
Sioen Tensile Architecture
Sioen Tensile Architecture engineers, produces and distributes membranes for tensioned structures for car parks, sports stadiums, courtyards, halls, buildings and façades. Thanks to a continuous focus on R&D and evolving trends, we are exponentially growing in the sector.
Part of the Sioen Industries Group
Sioen Industries is a diversified stock quoted group with an extensive portfolio of products and activities: spinning, weaving, and coating of technical textiles, manufacturer of professional protective clothing and producer of fine chemicals.