The Vauban Docks
The project: The objective of the architects Reichen & Robert was to redevelop the former harbour customs area into a place for modern life and exchanges whilst at the same time respecting "the spirit of the place". Their demands were fully met by choosing expanded metal to clad the façades of the Océane and Vauban car parks. Indeed, with expanded metal it is possible to combine the strength of the metal, which evokes the great industrial, harbour tradition of the city of Le Havre, with a very contemporary, decidedly modern appearance, evocative at once of both its present and its future.
A car park is a place that must make its users feel safe but people do not in general much care for car parks as they are often too dark, too huge, too impersonal and create an impression of suffocation and suspicion. Usually they are not a place where you feel at ease. By using METAL DEPLOYE louvred mesh it is possible to both have protection from being looked at and great transparency.
From the outside hardly anything can be seen on the inside whereas from the inside a lot of what is on the outside can be seen, which is reassuring and lets the people using the car park see what is going on, the traffic outside, the water, etc. So the car park is no longer an isolated place so to speak.
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Project managers responsible for building rooftop car parks have to adhere to the strict constraints of fire safety standards and these standards must be followed to the letter to ensure the public's safety and well-being. METAL DEPLOYE louvred mesh has therefore a very considerable extra advantage as it allows air to circulate through the walls of the car park.
The covering chosen for the façade allows light to come inside the building. Moreover, selecting metal to be the material means that the whole structure preserves the feeling of safety and solidness which has to be its essential feature. METAL DEPLOYE is able to satisfy these demands thanks to the lightness it gives the metal without in any way detracting from its strength.
Associated applications
Facade