First impressions are made within the first few seconds after a person meets another. While first impressions of other people are quite different than first impressions of buildings, the idea remains the same. Within the first moments of when a person enters a building, the building owner and architect wants that person to have a certain impression and feeling about the building.
Avalon Communities used woven metal mesh fabric applications from Cambridge Architectural, Cambridge, Md., in two New York apartment buildings as a way to add a striking aesthetic to the building’s entryways.
“The entrance creates the first internal experience of the building,” said Ashley O’Neill, associate at Fogarty Finger Architecture/Interiors, New York City. “Therefore, it should welcome, orientate and inform people upon arrival.”
Avalon Chrystie Place is a multifamily residential building located in the heart of Manhattan, while Avalon on the Sound East provides luxury high-rise living in New Rochelle, N.Y., close to Manhattan but removed from the crowds. Cambridge’s architectural mesh applications adorn the interior of the elevator cabs at both buildings.
“The entrance [at Avalon on the Sound East] was designed as an architectural space with clean lines architecturally lit,” O’Neill said. “This concept is carried through to the elevator lobbies, which in turn informed the elevator cab design.”
As residents enter the elevators, they are greeted by the dramatic visual and textural appeal of the shiny woven metal fabric on the walls. Because the elevators carry hundreds of passengers each day, they required an extremely durable cladding material that was also aesthetically pleasing.
Because each building has a distinctive feel, different architectural mesh fabrics were chosen. Avalon Chrystie Place features 168 square feet (16 m2) of Cambridge’s Circuit 141A pattern, featuring rigid, closed weaves. Avalon on the Sound East uses 750 square feet (70 m2) of the rigid and open weaved Tile pattern. Both fabrics were installed using Cambridge’s Panel attachment hardware, with no distracting clips or hangers visible.
The panels of custom brass weave reflect the light from the lobby as the elevator doors open. Creating a sleek and seamless wall covering inside the elevator, the patterned metal material offers a distinct contrast to the smooth surface of the elevator walls.
“As a cladding system, shimmering woven metal mesh continues to raise the bar on style and sophistication,” said Heather Collins, director of marketing for Cambridge Architectural.
When it came to selecting a metal mesh application, O’Neill said a clean architectural look with minimal maintenance was a very high priority in the decision-making process.
Cambridge’s woven metal mesh application and corresponding attachment hardware also function as a sustainable design element, maintaining an extremely long life cycle, requiring minimal maintenance and having the ability to be manufactured from recycled materials.
“Cambridge Architectural mesh is the perfect material for elevator cabs,” said Doug Gilman, president of Elite Elevator Cab Remodeling Inc., Garden City Park, N.Y. “The combination of unique dimensional architectural composition combined with the much needed durability factor-not to mention the fact that it meets all elevator codes-make Cambridge Architectural mesh an ideal cladding material.”
Within moments of entering the building, a visitor’s first impression of Avalon Chrystie Place and Avalon on the Sound East are inspired by both the lobby and elevator design, just as the building owner intended.
Avalon Chrystie Place, New York City
General contractor: Bovis Lend Lease, New York City
Elevator contractor: ThyssenKrupp Elevator, Garden City Park, N.Y.
Metal mesh system: Cambridge Architectural, Cambridge, Md., www.cambridgearchitectural.com
Avalon on the Sound East, New Rochelle, N.Y.
Architect: Fogarty Finger Architecture/Interiors, New York City
Elevator contractor: Elite Elevator Cab Remodeling Inc., Garden City Park
Metal mesh system: Cambridge Architectural
