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In Liverpool a few months back, I spotted an old building with mesh on the façade.
My initial thought was this was an effort to restrict any loose material from falling onto passers-by. I thought that the Building Control in the Council were very proactive in reducing possible risks.
But then, I spotted more and more buildings with mesh. They were all old buildings. They all had decorative elements – ledges, scrolls, carvings, or parapets.
All of these decorative elements would provide a spot for birds to rest and watch the world go by. I now suspect that the mesh is to prevent birds – bird netting. I am not sure I share the marketing spin that it is discreet.
It got me thinking that this might well be an argument for architects and designers to avoid decorative details on building facades, especially in port cities where the extent of birds may be greater.
That then got me worried that the flat plain glass façades that are so prominent in the buildings of today are likely to continue.
‘I have seen the future and it is of regular surface with no features’ does not really give much hope. Does it? Or is it just me?
My initial thought was this was an effort to restrict any loose material from falling onto passers-by. I thought that the Building Control in the Council were very proactive in reducing possible risks.
But then, I spotted more and more buildings with mesh. They were all old buildings. They all had decorative elements – ledges, scrolls, carvings, or parapets.
All of these decorative elements would provide a spot for birds to rest and watch the world go by. I now suspect that the mesh is to prevent birds – bird netting. I am not sure I share the marketing spin that it is discreet.
It got me thinking that this might well be an argument for architects and designers to avoid decorative details on building facades, especially in port cities where the extent of birds may be greater.
That then got me worried that the flat plain glass façades that are so prominent in the buildings of today are likely to continue.
‘I have seen the future and it is of regular surface with no features’ does not really give much hope. Does it? Or is it just me?
