26. Aug 2019

Metal mesh: Golden façade for cricket stadium

The world-renowned Oval Cricket Ground – also known as The Oval or The Kia Oval is the home to Surrey County Cricket Club (Surrey CCC). Within the scope of a program of extension and modernization, the stadium was given a new exterior façade. The architects from Rolfe Judd in London selected a golden metal mesh from GKD – GEBR. KUFFERATH AG for the stadium's cladding. The innovative new Tigris Twist mesh serves both as fall guard protection and a net to catch the ball.

The special cable design of the new stainless steel mesh allows the structure to be twice as open as conventional weaves. As such, spacings of 25 to 40 millimeters between the weft wires are possible. The Tigris Twist thereby combines the high-grade appearance of a cable mesh with the apertures of conventional PC mesh. The architects selected an aperture of 25 millimeters for the oval façade of the stadium. The high degree of flexibility offered by the mesh type also meant that it could be curved over twice along its lower edge twice. The framework design comprises a trapezoidal steel construction that was formed slightly into an oval. Rectangular mesh elements are fixed in place using the tried and tested round profile and eyebolt mounting system and create the trapezoidal shape of the 500 square meter woven skin through use of different gap widths.