Two stainless steel metal mesh fabrics woven by Cambridge Architectural have been used to envelop the parking facility at the Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW) airport.

Forty years after its celebrated opening, DFW, the world’s third busiest airport, continues to undergo a Terminal Renewal and Improvement Program. The latest addition is a new Terminal A Enhanced Parking Structure to accommodate 7,700 vehicles. Located adjacent to Terminal A, the structure is enveloped by the unique combination of Cambridge’s Pellican and Scale mesh patterns enhancing the facility’s features. At night, the mesh’s reflective characteristics help to showcase a decorative lighting system that accentuates the structure’s curve.

According to Alan Richards, AIA, Corgan Associates, Inc., a key requirement for the mesh was that it should be seen, unlike conventional mesh solutions that tend to just disappear on building facades. The large-scale mesh supplied by Cambridge was visible from a distance, meeting their design intent.

Lining the structure’s exterior screens and also used in interior partitions as well, the metal mesh contributes to a sustainable design by allowing exhaust fumes to easily escape the garage.

Richards explains that metal mesh is often used today in garage cladding applications because of its longevity, durability and minimal maintenance. He added that Cambridge mesh allows for open parking garage classification of more than 50 percent open area while also having very large scale mesh, which was used on the curved elevation.

Cambridge Architectural’s patent-pending Eclipse attachment system was used to fix the metal mesh to the building. Cambridge Brand Manager Gary Compton explained that elegant stainless steel tubes were used to grip the mesh panels at the top and bottom and tighten them to the required spring tension. Intermediate clips were added to long mesh panels for greater security.

Cambridge Architectural mesh has been used in numerous international airport terminal, rental car and parking facility projects, including at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, Harrisburg, Houston George Bush, McCarran (Las Vegas), Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau and Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson airports.