Urban houses
Urban house with a perforated street screen
This design places a perforated screen in front of part of the facade facing the street. The screen filters views and light, but it is an element distinct from the wall that actually closes and protects the building.
The design must therefore distinguish three functions: the load-bearing structure, the sealed and insulated envelope, and then the external screen with its own supports.
Key details of this design
- Family
- Urban houses
- Storeys
- Ground floor + 1 storey
- Published documents
- concept drawings
These details describe the design as presented. Floor areas, capacity and performance are not given: they are defined during the study of your project.
What this design shows
The screen does not replace a bracing wall and must not be used as a weathertight skin by default. It carries its own weight together with wind and seismic actions, according to its material, its dimensions and its degree of openness. Its fixings then transmit those forces to a structure able to receive them.
If the screen is heavy, its supports and its foundations may differ from those of a lightweight facade. If it is suspended or fixed to the building, the anchors must take relative movement into account and avoid transferring unforeseen forces to the facings.
Enough space must be provided between the screen and the facade behind it to allow water to run off and to allow cleaning, maintenance and the possible replacement of components. The connections at head and foot must not create standing water or interrupt the continuity of the envelope.
The large glazed areas visible behind or above this screen also reduce the lengths of wall available for stability. The structure must be studied independently of the visual effect produced by the perforated pattern.
Layout
Schematic plans
These documents are there to make the layout and the envelope shown understandable. They are schematic plans: they constitute neither construction drawings, nor structural drawings, nor a building permit.
Possible adaptations and their technical implications
The pattern, the material, the depth and the degree of openness of the screen can change. Each variant alters the weight, the wind loading, the fixings and sometimes the support requirements. A lightweight version and a masonry version cannot be substituted for one another without revisiting the study of the supports.
The screen can cover another part of the facade, provided its grid is coordinated with the joinery, the accesses and maintenance. Its fixing must not pierce, in an improvised way, the layers providing water and air tightness.
Changing the large windows or the setback of the glazed volume simultaneously changes the lintels, the bracing, the envelope connections and the geometric relationship with the external screen.
A design becomes a project only after study
Site and geotechnics, planning, orientation, climate, structure, foundations, loads, wind, seismic action, envelope, performance, services, regulations and contractual scope are defined for the real case. None of these points is guaranteed by the original documents.
Would you like to start from this design?
Send us your location, your site if you already have one, and the changes you have in mind.
You can also write to us: commercial@algerialightsteel.com
“Urban house with a perforated street screen” will be attached to your request automatically.