Textile Architecture and Fixed and Mobile Sun Screening

By Editorial Staff - 2 May 2024
Serge Ferrari has participated in the project

Serge Ferrari Group specializes in the manufacturing of flexible and innovative composite materials, with a focus on lightness, durability and low environmental impact. The materials are designed to provide bespoke solutions for sun screening, sound absorption, tensile structures and façade cladding. They are also used in the naval and furniture industries. With plants in France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy and Asia, the group excels in the design and implementation of flexible and adaptable solutions for different architectural contexts.

Sustainability is also a constant focus of their efforts. An excellent example of this can be seen in the tensile structure erected in France for The Camp, a project by Corinne Vezzoni & Associés. Conceived as an open-air campus, its robust yet lightweight roof acts as a shield against the sun’s intense rays, not unlike a giant umbrella. Made of the translucent Tenseo Xtrem TX30 membrane, the covering provides uniform distribution of natural light, reducing the need for artificial lighting. This design choice not only produces significant energy savings, but also enhances visual comfort.

Sede Bonfiglioli, Peter Pichler Architecture, Calderara di Reno, Bologna © Fabio Di Carlo, courtesy Serge Ferrari Group

The issue of solar protection was also addressed and solved, albeit with a different approach, in the design of the Bonfiglioli headquarters by Peter Pichler Architecture, where a technological solution was used to combine lighting and temperature management with the visual and acoustic comfort of the various environments. In pursuit of these goals, interior roller blinds made of Soltis Touch fabric from Serge Ferrari Group were used. This material can absorb up to 40% of the glare, while delicately filtering light and adding subtle character to the interior. Perhaps even more remarkable is the solution developed by architect Yamashita Sekkei for the Goodman Business Park project.

Goodman Business Park, Yamashita Sekkei, Inzai-shi, Chiba, Giappone © Nobuyuki Yamaguchi, courtesy Serge Ferrari Group

Here, an innovative and iconic cladding was chosen: Tenseo Frontside 381, a highly technological 3D textile façade composed of 324 panels of different shapes via variable angles, giving the building’s exterior a dynamic quality. Tenseo Frontside 381 not only guaranteed impeccable esthetics, but also optimal comfort through solar control – a valuable fusion premised on meticulous design. Tailored to three different architectural environments, three of the group’s products, in unique solutions, demonstrate versatility while guaranteeing and optimizing technical and esthetic performance.