project

Sunshade façade of UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute

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General information

  • Location address
    234 Goodman St, Cincinnati, OH 45219
  • Location country
    United States
  • Year of construction
    2018
  • Name of the client/building owner
    Messer Construction
  • Function of building
    Education
  • Degree of enclosure
    Open structure
  • Climatic zone
    Tropical - hot and wet all year
  • Number of layers
    mono-layer
  • Type of application of the membrane
    attached
  • Primary function of the tensile structure
    • Sun protection

Description

Being successful not only in research but also in treatment resulted in the need for a new house: in November 2016, the UC Health Board of Trustees approved the planning for a new building.
The institute was designed by Perkins + Will, the American interdisciplinary architecture and design firm. Together with the façade experts from Structureflex they developed the design for the undulating tensioned façade. It is made of Mehler Texnologies TF400 vinylcoated polyester mesh. The tensile façade was installed end of 2018, the whole building opened for patients in spring 2019.

FlexFaçades by Structurflex is a globally operating specialist in tensile fabric façades and fabric cladding. The distinguished façade of the Neuroscience Institute provides protection from wind, heat, and solar glare, creating opportunities for reducing heating and cooling costs and even eliminating artificial heating and cooling systems. The homogenous façade wraps the main visual parts of the building. At the same time people working within the building can still easily look out of their windows – through the glass and equally through the mesh fabric.

The façade’s 3D structure softens the environment in many ways: on the one hand its acoustical effect adds to the surrounding streets’ sound absorption. On the other hand the fabric’s mesh structure has a filtering effect within the street’s micro climate. Both functions are similar to those of the surrounding trees.

Description of the environmental conditions

Material of the cover

  • Cable-net/Fabric/Hybrid/Foil
    Fabric
  • Material Fabric/Foil
    Valmex® TF400

Main dimensions and form

Duration of use

  • Temporary or permanent structure
    Permanent

Involved companies

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