Dual solar protection façade made from transparent stainless steel fabric

Liberty Fund Library

The Liberty Fund is a charitable foundation for research and education based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The eye-catcher and center point of the 5,000 m² building is the research library with its nearly 20 meter high glass façade.

30 large stainless steel fabric panels (in total around 1,450 meters) are positioned in front of the glass areas. They ensure effective solar protection, modern design, and optical highlights:
Names and events that represent the spirit of freedom throughout the centuries have been etched into the Omega 1520 stainless steel fabric. To avoid the moiré effect (undesired optical movement of the mesh pattern), a second, contrasting layer of Helix-48 mesh was installed at a precisely defined distance between the outer solar protection shell and the glass façade. The transparency of the dual solar protection façade developed specially by GKD for the Liberty Fund means the library exudes an atmosphere of openness. After sunset, the interior lighting shows off the extensive collection of valuable books. In addition, the external appearance of the reflective stainless steel fabric also changes according to the sun's position and according to the different seasonal lighting conditions. Customized, galvanized brackets on the roof and on the foundations of the library were used to secure the solar protection façade.
The expertise of the GKD specialists in matters of planning, development, production, and installation made a crucial contribution to the implementation of this extraordinary solar protection façade.