New Zealand architectural mesh company Kaynemaile™ won the Best Architectural Product at the NYCxDesign Awards announced during the NYCxDesign Festival last year. The award was accepted by Kayne Horsham, inventor of Kaynemaile, a revolutionary polycarbonate architectural mesh for building exteriors and interiors.

Kaynemaile collaborated with American kinetic sculptor Ned Khan on a striking public art installation called #WaveNewYork designed using the seamless polycarbonate architectural mesh invented by Horsham. The 4.25-metre high, 40-square-metre walkthrough ‘touch and see’ experiential installation was exhibited as a centrepiece for the NYCxDesign Festival at the Times Square in New York. The one million interlocking rings forming the installation were created using Kaynemaile’s liquid state manufacturing process at their Petone, Wellington design studio and factory.

The polycarbonate architectural mesh invented by Horsham in 2007 is based on a patented award-winning technology that creates interlocked seamless mesh rings without any joins or gaps. Horsham began experimenting with the mesh while working as an Artistic Director of Creatures, Armor and Weapons at Weta Workshop. He worked closely with director Peter Jackson for four years, fabricating the costumes of the Academy Award-winning The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Kayne Horsham, CEO of Kaynemaile said, “We’re honoured to be in the heart of New York bringing the freedom and joy embodied in our design to over a million New Yorkers and visitors from throughout America and the world in Times Square.

“New York and New Zealand are global centres of innovation and leaders in design. The NYCxDesign Award for Best Architectural Product perfectly supports our U.S. market entry.”

The patented interlocking mesh rings reimagine the 2000-year-old chainmail and can be used for a variety of architectural structures including large scale building and carpark wraps, shading for rain, wind and sun, airport security screens, hotel ceiling systems, university walkways, office partitions, lighting fixtures and kinetic art installations. Kaynemaile has been installed worldwide by building owners, developers, transit authorities, corporate offices, and shopping centres.

Kaynemaile’s mesh is made from the same material used to manufacture F16 fighter jet cockpits, astronaut helmets, and aircraft windows. Stronger and lighter than glass, Kaynemaile responds to lighting extremely well, making Times Square an ideal location for the dramatic installation.

Ilene Shaw, director and curator of NYCxDesign, added: “#WaveNewYork by Kaynemaile is a highly visible and vibrant focus of the Times Square Design Pavilion. The material is beautiful, the installation design is playful and interactive, and the concept has pure innovation at its core. It’s an honour to have Kaynemaile at Design Pavilion 2017.”