FBI cover-up

April 1, 2014  |  Hardware & Rigging

Tensioned fabric panels enhance FBI parking garage using frame and clip technology. By Kelly Frush Typical businesses in San Diego’s Sorrento Valley include technology giants such as Qualcomm, Fujitsu, and Texas Instruments. But now there is a new sheriff in town—the FBI. The Federal Bur…
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How to design a fabric structure: The basics

April 1, 2014  |  Structure Basics

By Sam Armijos, AIA The first step in designing a fabric structure is to create a form with sufficient pre-stress or tension to prevent it from fluttering like a flag or sail. The three basic forms associated with tensioned fabric structures are the hypar (hyperbolic paraboloid), the cone, and the b…
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Today’s trends in fabric structures

April 1, 2014  |  Structure Basics

Fabric structures have evolved over the years and continue to grow in importance today. By Sam Armijos, AIA Fabric structures have been used in one form or another in different market segments and in a variety of environmental conditions. These structures have evolved over the years with advances in…
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The fabric connection

January 1, 2014  |  Fabric Basics, Features

How hardware and fabric, combined in fabric structures, should be selected for good results. By Bruce N. Wright, AIA As any matchmaker will tell you, making the right connection can be the difference between a success that lasts, and a disaster that has long-lasting repercussions. This is especially…
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Nature’s wrath and awning repair

August 1, 2013  |  Exteriors, Structure Basics

By Maura Keller When you have a five-star-rated hotel, situated on a pristine beach in Watch Hill, R.I., you need to feature awnings that stand up to the hotel’s esteemed reputation and it’s ocean-side location. That’s why Ocean House began partnering with New Haven Awning Co., New…
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Going global with digital fabrication

May 1, 2013  |  Exteriors, Features, Structure Basics

Advanced technology opens door to new design possibilities. By Frank Edgerton Martin With digital fabrication, the fabric industry has a powerful tool to combine international expertise with on-the-ground knowledge of local building conditions and client needs. Thanks to computer-aided design softwa…
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Walking atop the O2 Dome

January 1, 2013  |  Exteriors, Features, Structure Basics

Visitors to London during the 2012 Summer Olympics had a unique perspective atop the Dome. Now that the dust has settled on the London Olympics, the story can be told about how ordinary people were able to walk up the fabric roof of the O2 Dome (formerly Millennium Dome), and survive the winds and w…
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Driving the future of fabric structures

November 1, 2012  |  Features, Structure Basics

Today’s advanced technologies will drive the future of fabric structures. By Blaine Brownell Fabric is one of the oldest materials humans have used for shelter; it remains an important material with diverse applications in design and construction today, and it will play an even more important …
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Hearing fabric

May 24, 2012  |  Continuing Education

The why and wherefore of designing for sound with textiles By Todd Wilmert All building materials are acoustical; all affect how sound is reflected, absorbed or transmitted. Through materials, sound can be sustained through reflection or made to dissipate through absorption. Transmission touches on …
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Continuing education: Acoustics with fabric

May 16, 2012  |  Continuing Education

Learn how technical fabrics can aid acoustic control. Discusses reflection, absorption coefficients; design solutions and case studies. Online testing. More details in the near future. In the meantime, check out other continuing education stories. Fabric Architecture magazine provides the opportunit…
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