TEXTILES.ORG
Fabric created out of recycled soda pop bottles
March 1st, 2008
Following the sustainability process called upcycling,” a U.S. textile manufacturer has created a fabric out of recycled soda pop bottles (PET plastic), and woven the resulting polymer (called EcoSpun) into Ecophab™. Ecophab accepts and water-based inks and is an eco-friendly, cost-effective alternative to many stocked fabrics used in the fabric graphics industry. SOURCE Ecophab™ by […]
Entrance canopy provides focal point for eco-friendly hotel
March 1st, 2008
Rainier Industries Ltd. | Tukwila, Wash., United States For this entrance canopy, which won an Award of Excellence in the commercial canopies category of the 2007 International Achievement Awards, at a new environmentally friendly boutique hotel, the Gala Hotel in Napa Valley American Canyon, Calif., the client wanted something dramatic. The combination of metal spokes, […]
Insulated fabric improves thermal performance
March 1st, 2008
Tensotherm™ is a new insulated fabric designed to improve the thermal performance of tensile structure roofing systems. The key to higher R-values in this innovative material is found in a translucent aerogel core called Nanogel, sandwiched between two layers of fabric membrane. Nanogel, a feather-light insulating material created by Cabot Corp., has a unique micro-pore […]
Sandwich material resists high temperatures
March 1st, 2008
Using technology developed for improving hot-air balloon efficiency called HeiDAS UH , German industrial pneumatic controls company Festo has created a high-temperature resistant sandwich material consisting of flexible polymer films. The laminate of polyimide film is reinforced by aramid filament yarn and holds back high pressure steam with up to 260° C temperature and resists […]
Building component using tensioned textiles offers various benefits
March 1st, 2008
This innovative building component uses tensioned textiles to control sound absorption, light transmission and color. The system is based on an aluminum frame with a concealed tensioning mechanism. Adjustable tension also allows installation of curved surfaces. SOURCE Soft Cells
Room dividers act as acoustic barriers
March 1st, 2008
Three dimensional weave fabrics add an extra quality to interior applications such as partitions. Karl Mayer (the German textile machine manufacturer), working with textile designer Judith Winterl, have created room dividers made from spacer fabrics that act as acoustic barriers. Made to order from the textile mill on a machine called HighDistance®, the fabrics can […]
Energy curtain collects solar energy
March 1st, 2008
The Swedish Interactive Institute has developed an “Energy Curtain” that collects solar energy during the day and reissues it in the form of LED patterned lights at nighttime. Fabric is embedded with both solar cells and light emitting threads woven into the curtain that display a pattern by night. SOURCE Swedish Interactive Institute
Reflective panel for photovoltaic system
March 1st, 2008
A tensioned valley cable (center in photo) and edge cables help provide enough curvature in the membrane panels to resist loads. Simplicity, repetition, and adjustability of the fabric panels maximizes the speed of assembly and economy of fabrication for the Las Vegas Springs Preserve. All membrane plates and stainless steel jaw fittings are identical, and […]
Sustainable signage
March 1st, 2008
The Society for Environmental Graphic Design recently published a Green Paper on best practices, strategies, and scenarios for sustainability in environmental graphic design. The Society for Environmental Graphic Design (SEGD) Green Paper is designed to provide a strategic framework, resources, and inspiration for promoting sustainability in environmental graphic design (EGD). Key green issues The needs […]
Waves of canvas shade new aquatic center in Kansas
March 1st, 2008
Rank after rank of wave-like strips of colorful canvas greet visitors to Splash Cove in Shawnee, Kansas, near Kansas City. These undulating canopies are meant to express the overall theme of the new municipal aquatic center, “under the sea.” “We take the theme to a new level with the Shawnee center,” says Johnathan Ruder, with […]