GRAY BECOMES GREEN 

Green facades turn the tide of withering in business parks

Green facades and roofs are incredibly popular. Both in cities and in business parks. "More and more companies are choosing to give their halls, distribution centers and silos a green coat," Jennifer Swagers, Marketing Manager at Carl Stahl, also observes. "For example, to make their sustainability ambitions more visible to the environment and to give biodiversity and livability a positive boost. An initiative that is also being encouraged or even required by more and more municipalities and that we support wholeheartedly. For example, with our climbing aid systems, against which climbing plants can grow up in a targeted manner."

"Our green facades turn the tide of doom," says Swagers. "Industrial halls and distribution centers are often rather dull block boxes, which are revitalized thanks to our climbing aid systems. The green facade provides an attractive habitat for birds, butterflies, bees and other insects. Moreover, "vertical gardens" contribute to clean air and a healthier living environment, provide natural cooling and water retention, and act as an additional noise barrier. Not for nothing do more and more architects already include green facades in their designs."

Wide range of climbing aid systems

Carl Stahl's range of climbing aid systems includes various tension cable systems and a cable net system, which can be used to green any facade. From freestanding facade to sandwich facade. "Depending on the wishes of the architect and end user, we map out the possibilities and preconditions," says Swagers. "This enables well-considered choices to be made. For example, in distribution centers, where sandwich panels are often used as the facade." Often the sandwich panels are insufficiently strong to anchor in. "Therefore, in many cases anchoring to the supporting structure inside is chosen. It is also possible to provide a steel structure on the outside to which tension cables or cable nets are then attached." 

Climbing aid for a durable facade

Carl Stahl's cable nets are used particularly for large (facade) areas, when denser vegetation is desired or when large(er) spans must be made. "Our cable nets also offer a solution when it is not allowed or possible to drill into the façade, but a freestanding or non-freestanding fence is desired," says Swagers. "The stainless steel cable net then forms a nice climbing aid for pendulous plants and can also serve as fencing. Among other things, the nature screen for distribution center Ara in Almelo is a wonderful calling card for this. With a dimension of no less than 1 kilometer long and 15 meters high, this will be the largest ecological nature fence realized to date in Europe."

On behalf of STELLAR DEVELOPMENT and Heembouw, Carl Stahl manufactured, delivered and assembled 10,000 m2 of stainless steel cable netting for the nature screen of
distribution center Ara. A mesh size of 200 mm and a cable diameter of 2 mm were chosen, achieving exactly the right green seal.