Tube frame for façades

Tube frame for a tautly tensioned façade banner

A tube frame tensions a banner tightly against the façade, so that large-format façade communication still looks well kept years later. The difference from a banner hanging loose on the façade is immediately visible: no creases, no flapping in the wind, no torn-out eyelets. The fabric is under tension around its full perimeter and stays flat, even over large areas.

We design, produce and install tube frames for companies, retailers, local authorities and property developers. Usually it involves a blank façade wall, a gable end along an arterial road or a façade area above a showroom. What makes the solution attractive: the frame stays, and you change the banner when your message changes.

Where you use it

• Blank walls and gable ends as a large-format brand carrier
• Façade areas above a showroom, exhibition space or shop
• Company buildings along an arterial road
• Temporary campaigns, with a frame that stays and banners that change
• Dressing a façade during refurbishment works

How it works

The frame is a grid of tubes on the façade, with a perimeter profile and, in larger formats, intermediate tubes that support the fabric. The banner is given a hem with eyelets or a rope all round and is tensioned evenly across the perimeter. That even tension is the whole point: too much tension on one corner pulls the banner out of true, too little gives rippling. The frame also holds the banner off the wall, so that wind can pass behind it.

Versions

Fixed frame with an interchangeable banner

The most frequently chosen solution. The frame is installed once and stays in place; for a new campaign you replace only the banner.

Tensioning system in the profile

The banner slides into a perimeter profile on a keder. This gives a particularly crisp result with no visible eyelets or tension cords, at the cost of a slightly more involved banner change.

Perforated banner

For large areas and wind-exposed façades, choose a perforated fabric. That reduces the load on the façade and the anchoring considerably.

Material and technology

The tubes are in galvanised or coated steel or in aluminium, finished in powder coating, often in a colour that disappears against the façade. Aluminium weighs less and does not rust; steel is stiffer over large spans. The fabric is usually PVC or woven textile, printed with UV-resistant inks and with reinforced hems. Where it is required, we provide a flame-retardant version.

Installation and points of attention

• The façade is decisive: masonry, concrete, insulated cladding and timber structures each call for different anchoring
• Wind load is the main calculation factor at large formats; if in doubt, choose perforated fabric
• Check whether a permit is required; municipal rules apply to façade advertising and they differ from one municipality to the next
• Plan how you will reach it later for a banner change: lift platform, ladder hoist or scaffolding
• Check the tensioners and the anchoring periodically, certainly after a storm

When a tube frame is not the right choice

For a small façade message a frame is overkill; a panel, a set of letters or illuminated signage will do. On a façade in poor condition or with uncertain load-bearing capacity, anchoring is not a good idea without prior investigation. And anyone looking for one week of visibility is better served by a temporary carrier.

What determines the price?

The price depends on the size of the façade area, the construction method and the tube material, the number of supports, the fabric type and whether it is perforated, the printing and the ink coverage, and the tensioning system. On top of that, the condition of the façade and the anchoring weigh in, as do working at height and any permit file. A second banner for the same frame is of course a different matter from a first installation.

Have your façade assessed

Send us photos of the façade, the dimensions of the area and the message you want to show. We will look at feasibility and anchoring, and provide you with a tailored quotation.