Location

Saint Sever (76)

 

Architect

Farcot & Associés

 

Product

Cassette with expanded metal infill

 

Mesh

AFR-LS50

 

Material and treatment

Powder-coated aluminium

 

Date

2023

 

Category

FACADE

 

About this project

To meet the requirements of the renovation project for the façade of the Primark shopping centre in Saint Sever (Rouen), it was necessary to be able to create a metal envelope reproducing a draped surface with undulations moving in 3 directions, over a total height of 11 m (surface area 550 m²).

The solution proposed by Afracom was to build the façade in modules 1100 mm high x 2520 mm long, consisting of a mechanically-welded tubular structure to which an AFR-RB45 expanded metal sheet is clad.

Starting with a sketch of the façade, our design office worked out the overall geometry and translated it into a working drawing for each of the modules. In the end, we produced 201 boxes, including 115 different references, with a corrugation amplitude of up to 200 mm. The number of references was optimised to keep the overall cost down. But in absolute terms, it's possible to produce as many unique pieces.

The choice of an expanded metal infill not only ensures feasibility, but also preserves a degree of transparency in the façade, so as to benefit from natural light during the day. This transparency is also useful for highlighting the façade by backlighting at night.