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Perforated facades are light magic

Buildings that have a perforated facade are seen in whole new light when the sun goes down. This day-to-night transformation is one of the reasons a perforated facade continues to be so popular.

Sunlit-dappled interiors by day evolve into a spectacular exterior light show by night. Even the simplest perforation pattern produces a wow-factor effect when lit from within. Or you can create a lit-up landmark with coloured LEDs and backlights.

Just look at these illuminating perforated facade ideas:

Whizdom Sales Office by HB Design

The sales office for Whizdom 101, Bangkok’s latest mixed-use residential development, is as elaborate and ambitious as the complex’s design. Created by HB Design for developers Magnolia Quality Development Corporation, it features an ornate and extravagant eye-catching perforated facade. Appealing to the commuter market, the sales gallery showcases the compact apartments and studios for sale in Whizdom’s towers, which are due for completion this year.

Images sourced from HB Design

Placebo Pharmacy by KLAB Architects

There’s a message in the perforated facade of this pharmacy building in Athens, Greece. Architects KLAB (Kinetic Lab of Architecture) punctured the facade in Braille, an everyday feature of pharmacy packaging. The perforations also allow light deep into the interior of the building, which was re-shaped from an octagon into a spiral cylinder through clever use of the new facade.

Images sourced from KLAB (Kinetic Lab of Architecture)

Louis Vuitton store by Aoki Jun

Your luxury shopping experience starts outside this Louis Vuitton store in Matsuya Ginza, Tokyo. Designed by Aoki Jun Architects, the perforated white facade is not only based on the repeated patterns of Ginza’s art-deco heritage, but Louis Vuitton’s own iconic Damier pattern. LED lights bring the building’s branding to life at night in spectacular fashion.

Images sourced from Aoki Jun Architects

690 Folsom Street by Charles F. Bloszies

Once an abandoned car park, now an intricate and incredible work of art thanks to Charles F. Bloszies architects. The metal mesh facade which wraps the building is backlit by LEDs, which change colour bi-weekly. The result is a property that seems to float at night, a stand-out building that’s fit for San Francisco’s redeveloped SoMa district.

Images sourced from Charles F. Bloszies architects

Silo 468 by Lighting Design Collective

 This disused oil silo in Helsinki is a slick way to use a perforated facade. Lighting Design Collective transformed the site into a public space with an evolving light show using over 1,200 LED domes. Linked to a complex software system, the lights react to environmental changes such as wind speed and temperature, creating a unique, fluid and ever-changing lit-up landmark for the city.

Images sourced from Lighting Design Collective

Perforated facade ideas and inspiration

Create a custom perforated facade with Arrow Metal. Using CAD technology, we can bring your facade design idea to life, working with you to meet your timescales and budget. Explore some our finished Projects and talk to our team on (02) 9748 2200. Or send us an online enquiry.