Scheduled for the Empa facilities, St. Gallen, Switzerland, with the theme “Fiber Research for Tomorrow’s Applications.” Registration will be online through the Fiber Society website, www.thefibersociety.org. Up-to-date information about the conference, hotel accommodations, travel and more is also available at Empa’s conference website, fs2012empa.ch.
The Specialised Textiles Association hosts this expo at the Melbourne Exhibition Center in Melbourne, Australia: “An Australian Industry Exhibition for Manufacturers and Wholesale Suppliers of Fabrics, Components and Equipment.”
The Outdoor Fabric Products Association of New Zealand annual trade show will be held at Chateau on the Park, Christchurch, New Zealand.
The international trade fair and congress for sustainable building, investment, operations and maintenance will take place at the Internationales Congresscenter (ICS) in Stuttgart, Germany. The convention will take place in a climate-neutral environment. Detalis at German Sustainable Building Council.
Will be held at the Mimaki facility in Boston, Mass., U.S.A., organized by the Fabric Graphics Association, a division of IFAI. Attendees will learn about printers, inks and application methods for various markets, including awning and marine products.
Will be held at the International Exhibition Center in Moscow, Russia. The “Crocus Expo” will also include Heimtextil (home textiles) and Domotex (carpets and floor coverings). R + T is a leading trade fair for roller shutters, doors/gates and sun protection systems. For information, visit www.rt-russia.com.
Conference is scheduled to take place at the Wan Chai Exhibition Centre in Hong Kong, the show is a collaboration between two major events—Planet Textiles and the Textile Exchange Annual Conference. Located close to major textile manufacturing hubs in southern China, the event will bring together brands and retailers to convene around environmental issues.
TECHNOTEX 2012 will be held at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, India. With participants from all of India’s industry subsectors, the event showcases the latest technological developments in technical textiles. More than 200 exhibitors are expected.
Scheduled for the Boston Convention Center in Boston, Mass., U.S.A., to co-locate with JEC Americas 2012. IFAI Expo Americas is the largest specialty fabrics trade show in the Americas. This year marks IFAI’s 100th anniversary, and the celebration will continue throughout the show, culminating with the Chairman’s 100th Anniversary Gala.
The American Welding Society’s metal forming, fabricating, finishing and welding event; the largest in North America, combining four previously independent shows. It will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nev., U.S.A.
The key distinction between tensioned fabric structures and other structures, both fabric and “hard,” is the relatively minimal support system a tensile structure requires. As with any technology, when the basic design and engineering have been developed and advanced, greater refinement of the details can occur. Although the basics — such as clamping systems — have become more standardized (since the majority of tensile structures are custom designs), their anchoring and connection details also are unique. Some of the frame and connection materials hail from other industries, such as space frames and marine rigging.
To determine the appropriate aesthetic design, consider the following:
- Some tensile structure primary materials are flexible and the details are designed to move under loads.
- Tensile structures weigh a fraction of what other buildings weigh; many of their materials are translucent.
- Lateral forces play a much greater role in tensile structures than in conventional structures.
- Reduce the problem to its simplest state with a minimum number of elements.
- Be sure the physical resolution of each element’s force vector (angle of direction and magnitude) is accurate.