Multimedia interface: EXPOMEDIA LIGHT CUBE

Like an enormous monolith, the cube towers over the Saar terraces in the west of Saarbrücken. As the sun follows its daily path, the outer cloak of stainless steel changes from a monochrome gray in the early morning light to a bright shining silvery coolness at noon. At sunset, it glows in a warm, shimmering gold-orange, and, finally, at night it becomes the backdrop for extraordinary projections of computer-generated colors and shapes. The „Media Façade" of the EXPOMEDIA LIGHT-CUBE counts as one of the most creative architectural applications of stainless steel mesh produced by the Düren-based company GKD - Gebrüder Kufferath AG. An „experiment between conventional architecture and media event" is how the Darmstadt architects Kramm & Strigl describe their spatial concept. Semi- transparency, reflective power and resilience were the decisive criteria for the choice of GKD's woven metallic architectural and design fabrics for this unusual project.

Large-scale single-element façade with a life of its own. Commended by the EXPO-jury in the context of the Saar terraces as an exemplary project for the revitalization of inner-city industrial branches, the LIGHT-CUBE is one of the worldwide projects of the world fair. The exhibition grounds, which once yielded coal and steel, are developing into a thriving center for hightech, media and service companies. The 1,500 square meter effective area of the LIGHT-CUBE has been tailored to the needs of the multimedia branch, with the outer cloak playing an optically spectacular, highly conspicuous role. According to the concept of Prof. Rüdiger Kramm, Axel Strigl and Benjamin Kramm, the mesh mantle is designed to be a seamless, all-round projection screen for extraordinary visualizations of complex information: in short, a „media façade". The planners see this as the architectonic expression of a self-steering and self- generating system. As an „interface between enclosed space and the surrounding environment", it changes into a „cloak which, as a climatic and illuminatory membrane, has novel technical and aesthetic qualities."

In the space of six months, GKD, in close cooperation with the architects and with the executive construction company K.M. Hardwork GmbH, Stuttgart and with WPW Ingenieure, Saarbrücken, developed a concept for the creation of the largest single element of wire mesh so far produced to achieve a practically seamless façade. For each of the three sides of the building, GKD finished four 22.8 meter long and 5.2 meter wide sheets of the mesh type Omega 1520. The mesh was installed within just six weeks. Omega has a particularly filigree grace, in keeping with the demand for the outer mantle to have such a fine structure that, at night, it would act like a transparent curtain to enhance illumination effects happening behind it, while at the same time being a „screen" for colors and shapes projected onto it. The construction and lighting effects are unique. Between the stainless steel mesh mantle and the building's shell there is a two-level system of rods made of glass tubes like a spatial grid covering all four sides of the cube, equipped with LED-rods in the RGB-spectrum. Under computer control, the rods assume various colors. In this way, both behind and on the façade, simple graphic lines and squares appear as well as compex images, for example so-called plasma fractals - relief images similar to the morphology of landscapes. In unpredictable image sequences, these symbolize abstract information, movements and states. In the dark, the composition as a whole develops a life of its own made of light, colors and structures.

The visual spectacle continues in the daytime under natural lighting. In daylight, the façade becomes a gigantic mirror reflecting the sun, the clouds and the weather in an endless variation of impressions. At the same time, an LED-display on the external shell provides a lively and fascinating picture within a picture, offering a versatile program of entertainment and information. Only the bare outlines of tubes and structures behind the mesh can be made out.

Filigree grace with high resilience

Apart from its optical properties, the resilience of the material was also a key issue for the architects. It had to be resistant to mechanical deformation and climatic influences in order provide a protective shield for the lighting tubes and technical equipment hidden behind it. The intended aesthetic impact called for semi-transparent material which - in contrast to its filigree grace - would stand up to strong winds without starting to vibrate. This requirement is familiar to GKD from numerous façade projects all over the world.

With a thickness of about 4.5 mm, a weight of 5.2 kilograms per square meter and proven installation techniques, the Omega mesh met all demands. At the head and foot of each sheet, the longitudinal cables were pressed into loops through which a round rod was threaded. The rods are connected to the substructure via distance holders to maintain the form against wind forces. The mesh is then tensioned downwards with eye bolts and pressure springs. This well-conceived installation technique allows each individual element to be unfastened without it having to be completely removed. It can then be rolled tightly together and fixed at the other end until whatever work is required on the underlying equipment has been performed.

Experimental objects like the LIGHT-CUBE represent a repeated challenge to GKD's skills in providing sound advice and individually tailored solutions. With its courage to tackle such unconventional projects and thanks to the technical and aesthetic properties of the material, GKD will continue with CREATIVE WEAVE to be a driving force in the field of contemporary architecture.

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