Texture is prevalent throughout all great architecture. Try and find a design without it! Textures create an experience within a design; they allow an array of senses to be used at once by just ‘seeing’ it. It evokes an occupant’s senses and greatly adds to the atmosphere; from expressing the quality of materials to articulating a pattern, texture and form are fundamental design tools.
We’re lucky to have our products specified on projects across the world, often one of the main elements to bring texture to a design. Screens are taking the world by storm and are an excellent choice to bring texture and form to a design. If you’re interested in learning how they can benefit your design, keep reading!
Use of materials
A sure way to create texture is through the use of materials. Natural organic materials are always popular, such as timber, stone, wool and cotton, thanks to their biophilic benefits helping to incorporate nature in a design. Often seen with timber walls and ceilings are textured carpets and window dressings, stone walls and floors, and other decorative elements such as cushions and furnishings.
Other materials such as concrete, metals and glass also bring an abundance of texture to a space. These materials are a lot bolder and often have clean linear lines, providing the perfect canvas for natural materials to be added to soften a space.
People intrinsically know what certain materials feel like. For instance, people expect wool to be soft, timber grainy, concrete rough, and steel smooth and rigid. These materials can be manipulated to make the viewer imagine and understand what the material feels like without even touching it.
Timber can be used to create architectural screens, which provide a warm and natural aesthetic. Our range of timber species and coatings offers an option for any application and design intent. The flexibility of the Click-on batten system allows for penetrations such as doors and windows with ease.
Portraying pattern
Texture has the powerful effect of inviting touch from occupants, altering a space’s sound or combining texture and form with lighting to play with architectural shadows. Previously, we have talked about materials that provide texture, but the way that they are presented, or created, and the pattern they deliver are also just as important.
Patterning such as weaves, piles, bricks, lattice, sleek lines and strips of material adds interest and warmth to a space. We are very familiar with using our range of modular products to create interesting forms and a variety of textures for projects through the use of our products. Screens are a practical and affordable solution for interiors and facades to create a unique look on a building. The patterning and texture they provide are exceptional (as well as durable) and leave a lasting impression on all who view the finished product.
Made out of timber or aluminium, our screens can be designed in vertical or horizontal linear lines, or even with curved inclusions, offering a stunning finish to the design as well as enough texture to really finish a space off.
Shine a light
A big way to take advantage of texture is the use of lighting to utilise the dimensions of a building or patterns within a material. Lighting often works well on facades or near windows, as natural sunlight shines down upon a design and filters perfectly throughout the patterns. This creates shadowing, depth and raised areas that seem to pop out at you!
Strategically placed light provides a design with an abundance of dimension, especially within screens. Integrated lighting is a sure way to achieve this. There are a variety of effective ways to integrate lighting into your designs, as explained below:
- Linear lights offer a variety of ways to provide lighting solutions. Options to install linear lights include placing the light in the space between the batten or removing part of a batten to incorporate the light in its place.
- Inlaid lighting is one of the most effective ways to use lighting in our Click-on system, achieved by integrating the lighting into the battens themselves. By routing out a groove on the face of the batten to insert the lighting fixture, our inlaid lighting method allows for the lights to be seamlessly integrated.
- Cove lighting provides softer lighting without disturbing the texture of the battens. Achieved by incorporating an LED strip light above or below the wall or ceiling, this method subtly emphasises the batten feature while keeping the entire lighting system hidden.
How our products have contributed to texture
So, we have talked the talk, but have we walked the walk and followed our own advice? Of course, and we have a range of impressive projects to prove it!
Click-on screens are specified externally and internally to create architectural screens to serve as a visual feature as well as to provide practical benefits, such as privacy. Timber or aluminium battens can be coated for exterior use, giving specifiers the freedom to create their vision without the worry of rapid aging.
Raheen Library
Banjo Pine Click-on battens were used by Woods Bagot in creative ways such as screens over the glass windows of rooms to provide sight as well as increased privacy to cordon off the area. These screens match very well with the battens used in other areas of the library, creating a uniform appearance and providing a soft texture to the interior.
Wallan Veterinary Hospital
By using the battens as an outer screen around the windows of the building, the architects allow in huge amounts of natural light while still providing shade from the sun. The light filters beautifully out of the screen at night, allowing all the texture of the timber to be showcased, and creating a warm and inviting glow.
APL Office
Behind the reception desk in APL’s office is a timber screen, allowing visibility of the office beyond, while keeping the reception area separate. The design was produced by aligning the screen with the wall’s timber battens, which then seamlessly connect together. The texture of timber brings warmth and interest to an otherwise bold interior.
