Mermet UK entry for the BBSA Awards 2019 wins in the category: ‘Most Unusual Use of a Solar Shading Product’ With Mermet fabric M-Screen 8505

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What is over 6.0m high, nearly 10.0m in diameter and looks like a pineapple?

Well, you certainly don’t expect to find a 21st Century shading product, sitting in the middle of a National Trust managed 18th Century walled garden, especially, in the shape of a 20’ high pineapple!

Mermet M-Screen ‘Pineapple’ in the walled gardens of Berrington Hall

Designed and constructed by Studio Morison (www.morison.info) for the National Trust’s Berrington Hall in Herefordshire, this sculptural external temporary pavilion, is now on display in the Capability Brown designed walled gardens.

At almost 10 meters in diameter and over 6 meters in height, it used 9 rolls, over 500 m2 of Mermet’s M-Screen 8505 fabric in the colour 0209 white / mandarin. A colour pulling together the surrounding brick walls with the idea of a ripening pineapple.

The colour apart, Mermet fabric proved ideal for the project on many further levels. The dimensional stability of the fabric ensures that when secured in position on the skeletal framing it stays taut and in position. During the day, appearing solid from the outside, yet once inside, the fabrics transparency connects straight back with the outside world. With the planned use of the pavilion as a venue for a programme of events and activities, the BS 476 Pt 6 Class 0 fire rating is just perfect.


Look, look, look!! I can see the sky!

“I think the Mermet fabric has been very successful; looking solid pink from outside and then the ‘wow’ as you go inside and realise you can look out” - Benedict Whybrow of Structural Engineers; Artura.

The ‘Berrington Pineapple’ project is a classic example of what can be achieved using Mermet fabrics in tensile structures – a wide pallet of standard colours, with all the additional benefits that digital print can bring in addition. A range of densities, from transparent through to translucent, to solid. Easy and safe to work with, durable and safe in use.

Why was Mermet fabric M-Screen chosen for this project? Glass fibre base to the cloth, providing the dimensional stability that makes the fabric stay where it is put, without elongation over time the fabric lies flat, no undulations, no shadow. Glass fibre also allowing a thin yarn which produces a very fine weave that delivers great through vision whilst at the same time transmitting a very diffuse light.

M-Screen not only has the mechanical and aesthetic properties required for the project, crucially it has very high fire ratings for a shading material. Used in the manner required of the structure, as a series of fixed panels, forming an enclosure, accessible to members of the public, the fabric needs to meet the fire ratings requirements of those of a building material, as used in a public building – Bs 476 Pt 6 Class 0.

Mermet are designers and manufacturers of high-performance technical fabrics to equip all types of solar protection blinds. Their role is to provide safety and thermal & optical comfort, and to optimise energy consumption in buildings. Whether on the interior or exterior, complete blackout or fully transparent, they offer numerous insulating fabric solutions to meet the demands of all solar protection projects.Weaving glass fibre in Veyrins France since 1961, the move to concentrate on sun-shading fabrics started in the 1970’s. Their fabrics have been distributed throughout the UK and Ireland by De Leeuw Ltd, trading as Mermet UK since 1995.

What would Capability Brown have produced if he had had Mermet fabrics available?

Project name: ‘Look, Look, Look’

Location: Berrington Hall, Herefordshire

Commissioning body: The National Trust

Designers: Studio Morison – Heather Peak & Ivan Morison

Structural Engineers: Artura

Open until: 12th December 2019

In association with Mermet UK


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Ryeford Hall
Ryeford
Ross On Wye
Hertfordshire
HR9 7PU
United Kingdom
T: 01989 750 768
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