Merit Award
Ateliér à Torce Facade
Rennes, France
Batir France Ingéniere S.A.
GKD-USA (metal fabric), ag4 (LEDs)
ag4 (mediafaçade)
ag4
France’s Ille-et-Vilaine region in the east of
Brittany is an important art, history, and culture center. Surrounded
by its medieval architecture andcultural treasures, a modern business
park sits on the busy expressway linking Rennes with LeMans.
A well-known cheese company located in the business park saw the opportunity
for high visibility along the expressway. In Fall 2007, the building’s
façade was covered with 167 square meters of Illumesh, a metal
fabric mesh made of recycled stainless steel with integrated LED technology.
During the day, offices behind the transparent façade have an unobstructed
view outward, while the exteror of the building takes on a shimmering,
metallic look. At night, the façade pulses with color effects created
by projecting washes of LED-rendered color onto the mesh curtain. Projection
of the color onto the round stinless steel wires comprising the mesh adds
a three-dimensional quality to the display.
“A façade is beautifully animated when light becomes architecture.
This project is part of a newly emerging family of design that extends
traditional understanding of materiality and surface to includethe ephemeral.”
“
For architects and EGD practitioners alike, this
a terrfic new medium with which to ‘paint’ buildings. Fluid,
graphic, industrial, and architectural, this simple wash of undulating
color only begins to exploit the potential of the dynamic new product.
I can’t wait until I have theopportunity to use this product.”