Boundary and skin
Insect screen
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A fine mesh of metal, fiberglass or plastic stretched on a frame that covers doors and windows.
Solves
What it solves
It lets air through and stops mosquitoes and other insects. In the tropics it allows sleeping with the window open and helps prevent mosquito-borne diseases.
Today
Put screens on every window that opens and on kitchen and patio doors. Prefer removable frames for washing, and meshes that resist salt near the sea.
Common mistake
Installing fixed screens that cannot be cleaned or replaced and that end up blocking the air as dust builds up.
Tomorrow
In the tropics screens let you open up at night without mosquitoes and without closing the house to the cool air. Standard frames that can be replaced without throwing out the window extend their life.
Where it comes from
- 1Wire industry United States, 19th century
An agricultural magazine mentions wire mesh for windows in 1822, and from 1861 it was sold painted as a product in its own right. - 2Public health United States, first half of the 20th century
The widespread use of screens helped eliminate malaria from the country by the 1950s.
Appears in the routes
See also
Also in Boundary and skin
Diagrams and texts by LDB Arquitectura. They are shared under the CC BY 4.0 license, which allows them to be used and adapted with credit to the source.