#Product Trends
GKD: Roller shutters and CMP mesh as magnet for trade fair visitors
Keen interest in new metal mesh system solutions
GKD – GEBR. KUFFERATH AG enjoyed positive results at this year's BAU trade fair in Munich, the leading international trade fair for architecture, materials and systems. The quality and quantity of visitors from across the globe demonstrated the high levels of professional interest in the latest system solutions on offer from the global market leader in architectural mesh. Offering design, functionality, comfort and security, GKD's trend-setting products help ensure a sustainable improvement in building performance. The motorized metal mesh roller shutters and doors and the CMP mesh used for acoustically effective ceiling systems and room dividers proved most popular. But the transparent media façade system MEDIAMESH®, the wide range of colored meshes and the innovative solar control mesh Omega Solar also attracted plenty of prospective customers.
Metal mesh roller shutters and doors were the absolute highlight at the GKD stand. Despite their delicate appearance, they offer reliable protection against unauthorized access and theft. For overnight closure of large display windows in shopping malls, they guarantee the requisite security without detracting from the spacious entrance during opening hours. The rollable hangings offer an elegant alternative to conventional solid roller shutters. Many prospective customers also consider this to qualify the products for various applications in the property and high-end residential real estate sector.
Elegant lightness
The acoustically effective CMP mesh met with great interest – in particular in the matt Atlantic Glow variant exhibited at the trade fair stand. Shop and exhibition stand builders in particular liked its upmarket look. But the elegant design, which appears visually almost seamless, combined with the light weight of the sturdy system, appealed to visitors in general. Whether to design exclusive, gridless ceilings without sagging or for use as an elegant room divider or trim for pillars and walls: the sandwich panels, which comprise an aluminum carrier plate with laminated surface layer made of metal mesh and acoustic fleece intermediate layer, can be used to sustainably optimize the acoustics of any room.
Emotional product presentation
There was continuing high demand for the transparent MEDIAMESH® media façade system in Munich. Its most recent application in the form of mega displays on the façades of the flagship stores of one of the most successful fashion chains in the world, highlighted the new potential of this system. It preserves the identity of the architecture whilst also granting unobstructed views from inside the building. Its splendid image quality and high light intensity mean it is predestined for use as an element of corporate architecture, supporting the visual identity of global companies through an exclusive staging of their range of products.
Vibrant colors
The unique range of processes from a single source for the production of colored mesh responds to the current trend of lending unmistakable character to buildings through individual coloring. While the screen printing process was of particular interest for façade applications with complex graphics, the fine color gradients and photorealistic image reproduction possible through digital printing were of interest for interior designs. Aluminum wires anodized in a continuous process offered attractive options to CMP ceiling system designers, as they combine a rich variety of colors with low dimensional weight. High-strength paintwork annealed in a continuous process offered a popular alternative to flat or round stainless steel wires for spiral or cable meshes. The result is permanently bright, UV-resistant and weather-proof colored meshes. Many visitors were also previously unaware of the possibility of modifying the smooth surface of dense mesh types by etching them with graphical elements.
Hidden qualities
The innovative solar control mesh Omega Solar surprised visitors with its combination of excellent energetic solar protection and high transparency. This was made possible by the new mesh technology used in the visually light mesh, which only reveals its hidden properties upon closer inspection. At first glance, the innovative mesh can barely be distinguished from GKD's trusted Omega mesh. The depth effect of the horizontally interwoven flat wires is only revealed up close. This special mesh construction enables efficient retention of solar energy despite the variably selectable openness of the mesh.
With this attractive new range of system solutions, GKD was able to establish many highly interesting contacts from across the globe at BAU. A number of specific project requests, and the keen interest of a large number of architects, planners, project developers and processors who visited the stand, also demonstrate the track record of the GKD team under divisional manager Michael Link.
