Webnet – Sports Net | Jakob

As a part of its urban renewal programme ‘Métamorphose’, the city of Lausanne built a new football complex for three local clubs and the talent squads of the Team Vaud. The program has nine sports grounds: three grass pitches and six with artificial turf and a multifunction building that houses dressing rooms, club offices and a cafeteria. The architects set out to create a spacious landscape park, the pitches are aligned along a north-south axis that serves also as a path for pedestrian traffic. Due to the hilly location, each pitch is situated at a different level to integrate better into the uneven terrain.

Webnet: The Invisible Ball Catching Net

The character of the centre is undescored with bright and luminous materials including Webnet by Jakob Rope Systems. The stainless steel net was ideally suited for the ball catching nets. Using a sleeveless wire rope net gave high translucence and an appearance of transparency. It is also virtually maintenance free and silent when a ball hits the net.

The attractive qualities of the stainless steel mesh were taken to the next level by innovative installation techniques used in the project. Using a mesh width of 50 millimetres, the lower part of the net is slightly overstretched in width resulting in a higher rigidity in the area where most balls will hit net. In contrast, the upper parts of the mesh are stretched in length while keeping the mesh width. Thereby, longer holes are created that increase the impression of transparency.

Jakob Rope Systems was brought on-board to the project costing 56 million Swiss francs from the start. Apart from the use of Webnet, it supported the architects in planning and design. In over 4000 man-hours, Jakob mechanics professionally installed the nets on site.

Webnet

Webnet is a stainless steel woven wire mesh with exceptional tensile resilience and flexibility. It is robust and weather resistant, requires virtually no maintenance and has a delicate structure minimizing visual impairment. Webnet nets are fabricated according to customer specifications with regards to shape, size and orientation.