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Industrial Fabrics Association International Endorses APPI Energy
August 10, 2018
Industrial Fabrics Association International announced their endorsement of consulting firm APPI Energy to provide electricity and natural gas cost management and reduction services for their members. With APPI Energy’s member benefit, IFAI members will receive expert recommendations, cost reduction opportunities, and budget certainty through competitive procurement and fixed, all-inclusive energy contracts. “Every day, APPI Energy …
Industry News
IFAI to host Women in Textiles Summit 2019, call for presentations open
August 8, 2018
IFAI will host its first ever Women in Textiles Summit on March 6-8, 2019, at the Hyatt Regency Savannah in Savannah, Ga. The goal of the summit is to strengthen the advancement of women through an interactive forum that provides education, networking and dialogue about important issues affecting women in business. The summit will explore …
Features
‘Mass to membrane’ continues to influence the future of architecture
August 1, 2018
Nicholas “Nic” Goldsmith, FAIA, has been a major player for more than 40 years in the development of fabric architecture in North America and around the globe through his leadership of the innovative architectural/engineering firm FTL Design Engineering Studio, based in New York City. I’ve known Nic for more than 20 of those years, and …
Features
SEG graphics find more appeal with architectural clients
August 1, 2018
Ask average consumers what springs to mind when they hear the words “signs and banners,” and they’ll likely describe wayfinding placards and lengths of logo-imprinted fabric hanging from street poles. And although placards and pennants have their place in the sign and banner arena, this is a market segment with innovative and expanding applications in …
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Fabric wall systems offer versatility
August 1, 2018
Architects and interior designers are appreciating the functional possibilities offered by stretched fabric wall finishing systems for commercial and residential work instead of typical paint or wallpaper. One system is offered by Fabricmate Systems, a global supplier of high performance wall surface solutions. A stretched fabric wall surface has acoustical properties that reduce noise and …
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Winning Fabric Art Entries, 2017 International Achievement Awards
August 1, 2018
AWARD OF EXCELLENCE Aquatic art Transformit | Gorham, Maine “Aqua Vibrant” is an 85-foot by 15-foot fabric sculpture installed in the Academic Commons, a lounge that connects two classroom buildings at Lakes Region Community College in Laconia, N. H. The hand-painted graphics and transparent quality of the mesh celebrates and takes inspiration from nearby Lake …
Case Studies
Preventing workplace sexual harassment requires proactive actions
August 1, 2018
Far too often, the process of making bad and/or unethical choices begins with a simple, almost thoughtless decision. How do I know this? Well, I’ve seen it happen far too often. Harassment is not a sexy subject, and ethics are more than words. “The times they are a changing,” and that’s more than just song …
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Screens that accommodate ‘daylighting’
August 1, 2018
With an emphasis on using natural light and saving energy, KE Outdoor Design has announced the Screeny system with a new range of products. The new Exterior Solar Shades are suitable to cover any window while integrating seamlessly into modern architecture. The system enables customers to utilize the practice of “daylighting,” which involves the placement …
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Serge Ferrari acquires Plastitex, introduces new awning fabric
August 1, 2018
Serge Ferrari Group has acquired Plastitex, adding product lines and technical knowledge to the Serge Ferrari brand. Besides its expertise in new product design, Plastitex will provide extra capacity and additional manufacturing flexibility. Serge Ferrari Americas will offer a textile customization service that will enable customers to create unique color combinations and weave patterns and …
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Shelter Structures distributes Sunshield Shade
August 1, 2018
Shelter Structures America, a distributor of Shelter temporary clearspan tent structures, Sunshield & SKP for the U.S., Canada and Mexico, will carry the Sunshield Shade product line. Sunshield products are polycarbonate carports and shade structures, tensile fabric shade structures, vehicle parking shades and patio shades. The products will be warehoused in the Shelter Structures America …
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Preventing workplace sexual harassment requires proactive actions
August 1, 2018
Far too often, the process of making bad and/or unethical choices begins with a simple, almost thoughtless decision. How do I know this? Well, I’ve seen it happen far too often. Harassment is not a sexy subject, and ethics are more than words. “The times they are a changing,” and that’s more than just song …
Case Studies
Acoustical fabric updates arts facility in Toronto
March 1, 2018
Built more than 20 years ago, the Toronto Centre for the Arts’ underused main theater needed updating. The solution involved reducing the overall size and upgrading the systems to create a more efficient facility. Designers of the retrofit, Diamond Schmitt Architects, brought Eventscape into the project to engineer, fabricate and install over 3,000 sq. ft. …
Case Studies
Job costing: the art of realizing your true profits
February 1, 2018
It’s a fairly safe bet that not many business owners started their operations because they wanted to work on spreadsheets. But like it or not, when you hang out a shingle, only part of your work will be designing a custom awning or fabric structure. Figuring out how to charge for those jobs accurately is …
Case Studies
Glen Raven’s solar commitment boosts sustainability
February 1, 2018
For textile manufacturers that operate energy-intensive machinery, solar-generated energy provides a way to save on energy bills and reduce carbon footprint. Glen Raven Custom Fabrics LLC, best known as the makers of Sunbrella® fabrics, recently debuted a 3,076-panel solar array at its flagship manufacturing facility in Anderson, S.C. The one-megawatt project was designed to power …
Case Studies
Retractable awning offers clear ocean views
January 1, 2018
The Cane & Canoe, an exclusive hotel restaurant known for its unique blend of Hawaiian and Polynesian cuisine, is located in the Montage Hotel at the Kapalua Bay resort, one of Hawaii’s premier oceanfront resorts. Kapalua Bay, a 22,000-acre former pineapple plantation on Maui, has developed into a popular resort that includes two award-winning championship …
Case Studies
Parking structure complements Atlanta market
December 1, 2017
The Ponce City Market on the eastern edge of Atlanta, Ga., has aggressively aspired to become the fourth nationally recognized food hall in America after Chelsea Market in New York, N.Y., Pike Place in Seattle, Wash., and Ferry Building in San Francisco, Calif. The location for the market is the revitalized historic 1926 Sears, Roebuck …
Case Studies
Malaysian light rail features an inspired ETFE tunnel of air
December 1, 2017
Odds are, most architects have seen the iconic Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, the capitol of Malaysia. Built in 1998, the Petronas towers remain the tallest twin towers in the world at 1,482 feet (452 meters). Architects are less likely to know that Kelana Jaya is a rapidly-urbanizing suburb located on the southwest edge …
Case Studies
ETFE roof panels inspired by a camera aperture
November 1, 2017
On Aug. 26, Atlanta, Ga., fans got to try out the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the first time when the Falcons hosted the Arizona Cardinals in a preseason NFL game. The two-million-square-foot facility accommodates 71,000 fans for football games and can expand to 75,000 seats for marquee events. Designed by HOK, a global design, architecture, …
Case Studies
French gallery blends effortlessly into vineyard landscape
October 1, 2017
What could be more agreeable than a glass of French wine while viewing French art in the landscape of southern France, a landscape made famous by the 19th-century Impressionist/proto-Cubist painter Paul Cézanne? This conflux of ideal conditions melds perfectly in the recently completed Château La Coste Art Gallery, a new venue for viewing artworks while …
Case Studies
Restructing an awning company results in positive results—for employees and the bottom line
August 1, 2017
Mike Peterson restructures an awning company’s culture by asking hard questions, collaborating on the anwers and fearlessly changing the rules. “Our old philosophy was to focus on profitability and the end result—and in order to get there we did our best to take care of our customers, and our employees came last,” says Mike Peterson, …
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‘Mass to membrane’ continues to influence the future of architecture
August 1, 2018
Nicholas “Nic” Goldsmith, FAIA, has been a major player for more than 40 years in the development of fabric architecture in North America and around the globe through his leadership of the innovative architectural/engineering firm FTL Design Engineering Studio, based in New York City. I’ve known Nic for more than 20 of those years, and …
Features
SEG graphics find more appeal with architectural clients
August 1, 2018
Ask average consumers what springs to mind when they hear the words “signs and banners,” and they’ll likely describe wayfinding placards and lengths of logo-imprinted fabric hanging from street poles. And although placards and pennants have their place in the sign and banner arena, this is a market segment with innovative and expanding applications in …
Features
Selling shade, comfort and style
July 1, 2018
Who could have predicted, even 10 years ago, that Amazon would have driven shade and awning companies, let alone everyday retail stores, into changing their operations to meet the demand for overnight response rates? Yet today, more than we’d like to believe, sales behemoths like the online portal Amazon and similar services have taught consumers …
Features
Recruiting the next generation of workers
July 1, 2018
Labor shortages are real and troubling, but a variety of organizations and manufactures are working on strategies to attract the next generation of workers–getting actively involved with public education and student training and recruitment. The dearth of skilled labor is an increasingly common lament heard from manufacturers of all stripes. It’s not a sudden or …
Features
Choosing between fabric and metal awnings depends on customer needs
June 1, 2018
If you have ever had to source sustainable materials for a building design, you know about rating systems like Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), administered by the nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council, (USGBC). The LEED systems consider the amount of energy used to manufacture the building material and the carbon footprint it leaves …
Features
Fabric structures defined by technology and sustainability
June 1, 2018
Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) is celebrating the 30th anniversary of Fabric Architecture (FA) magazine. The inaugural issue editor, Gene Rebeck, touched on a number of topics that proved to be insightful, clairvoyant and representative of how FA (originally called Fabrics & Architecture or F&A) has been able to represent trends in thinking and practice …
Features
Manufacturers find new ways to enhance product performance with textiles
May 1, 2018
As the demands made on textiles have increased, the nature of what is defined as “textile” has greatly expanded, often including non-textiles or treating them in a textile manner. Hybrids that bring together different materials and processes can offer the benefit of conventional textiles with additional characteristics of materials such as glass, ceramic, wood or …
Features
Tensile fabrics make a cultural statement in Mexican structure
May 1, 2018
The power of suggestion is one of an architect’s most eloquent tools. With a meaningful combination of shape and material, a design can meet physical expectations as well as create the suggestion of ideas, symbols and traditions. With the strategic use of high-tensile fabric panels, the structure known as the Fachada Foro Chiapas suggests time, …
Features
Upscale shade options complement outdoor living trends
April 1, 2018
While many manufacturers concentrate on making smart products that give people convenient and luxurious control over functions in their homes and businesses, others are finding ways to make the outdoors equally responsive and comfortable to lifestyles in the Internet of Things age. A robotics company in Pasadena, Calif., is, in fact, throwing all its weight …
Features
Pacific Yurts reflects customer-driven innovation
April 1, 2018
“I never had an interest in going into business to just duplicate a product that already existed,” says Alan Bair, founder and owner of Pacific Yurts Inc. in Cottage Grove, Ore. “But early on I realized the yurt is a unique warm space that is limited only by the imagination. When you go into that …
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IFAI to host Women in Textiles Summit 2019, call for presentations open
August 8, 2018
IFAI will host its first ever Women in Textiles Summit on March 6-8, 2019, at the Hyatt Regency Savannah in Savannah, Ga. The goal of the summit is to strengthen the advancement of women through an interactive forum that provides education, networking and dialogue about important issues affecting women in business. The summit will explore …
Company News
IFAI and BCH sign agreement
July 1, 2018
The Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) has announced an agreement with Business Co-ordination House (BCH) to provide representation of IFAI in India. “We believe BCH is uniquely positioned to help IFAI expand the opportunities for our organization with the emerging Indian market for technical textiles,” said Mary Hennessy, past president and CEO of IFAI. “One …
Industry News
The Cutting Room
May 9, 2018
June 12, 2018 | Noon EST Free to IFAI Members/$79.00 for Nonmembers The presenters will cover four components used in a cutting room: digitizing, cutting, material handling and ROI. Learn what applications are best suited for full automation and how to implement them and increase your product volumes. Presenters Truy Pham Autometrix Inc. Truy “Tree” …
Industry News
Webinar: Selling quality over price
May 9, 2018
June 20, 2018 | Noon EST Free to IFAI Members/$75.00 for Nonmembers Learn about increasing your bottom line and how to encourage your clients to upgrade to better quality materials. Find out how upselling reflects company image, leads to future referrals and produces long-lasting products. Presenter Dave Callahan Granite State Cover & Canvas Inc. …
Industry News
IFAI’S Student Design Competition: Deadline is May 15, 2018
May 4, 2018
Each year, the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) sponsors a Student Design Competition for students enrolled in a post-secondary college or university program studying textiles, apparel, engineering or design. The annual competition offers students a valuable opportunity to build their portfolios and advance their career opportunities—and first-place winners also receive a $6,000+ Prize Pack with …
Industry News
Fair trade: imports, tariffs and the textile industry
April 24, 2018
In August 2017, the President formally instructed the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to determine whether to launch a 301 investigation of “laws, policies, practices, or actions of the Government of China that may be unreasonable or discriminatory and that may be harming American intellectual property rights, innovation, or technology development.” After deciding …
Industry News
IFAI names Schiffman new president and CEO
April 20, 2018
The Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) has named Steve Schiffman, the association’s vice president of media and sales, the new president and CEO of IFAI. He will replace Mary Hennessy, who is retiring June 1, 2018, after holding the position for the last six years. Schiffman had a long and successful career in publishing before …
Industry News
Immigration art in Minnesota skyways
April 20, 2018
More than 30,000 skyway pedestrians as well as thousands of street-level commuters and motorists are expected to view St. Paul, Minn., through new Americans’ eyes as they pass an exhibit dedicated to immigrants’ experiences. Photos: Peter Von De Linde. The U.S. is a nation of immigrants. The call to “huddled masses, yearning to breathe free” …
Industry News
AmazonSmile promotion
March 22, 2018
If you shop on Amazon, be sure to take advantage of the AmazonSmile promotion. From March 12–31, 2018, AmazonSmile will triple the donation amount to 1.5 percent to Industrial Fabrics Foundation. Go to smile.amazon.com/ch/52-2164483. For additional details about the promotion, click here
Industry News
BAT USA announces GIANT, a retractable awning
March 14, 2018
BAT USA’s GIANT is a retractable awning on 2″ square steel bar. The aluminium brackets grant resistance and compactness, while the aluminum covers give it a great elegance, reinforced by style and Italian-made quality. Volume, design and big projections make this awning a perfect cover for public and private spaces and a great upgrade for …
