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Tension revisited: Rhino
July 1st, 2008
The first of Fabric Architecture’s series of reviews of tension structure software ran in these pages 10 years ago. Time for an update. Reviewed by Ashish Soni and Matthew Hilyard The idea that “as innovative visionary designers, we are limited only by our creativity” seems to be a cliché. Yes, we can dream. It embodies […]
Pioneering the field: The founding father of the fabric tension structure industry
July 1st, 2008
Frei Otto is considered by many to be the founding father of the existing fabric tension structure industry. By Jean Cook Many in the fabric tensile structure industry agree with such estimation. In lectures or discussions about the history of this relatively new industry, Otto’s name invariably is spoken. By some he is considered an […]
Soil cap eliminates exposure and improves water quality
July 1st, 2008
Flint Industries Inc. | Metter, Ga., United States The project, which won an Outstanding Achievement Award in the geosynthetic projects category of the 2007 International Achievement Awards, involved installing a soil cap over a 55-acre sludge pond’s surface to eliminate exposure and improve surface water and groundwater quality in the area. The capping system required […]
Fabric concourse wall hides stadium seating
July 1st, 2008
Eventscape Inc. | Toronto, Ontario, Canada Eventscape’s portion of this project, which won an Outstanding Achievement Award in the commercial interiors category of the 2007 International Achievement Awards, is a 1,950m2 angled, custom-framed, fabric concourse wall, created to interestingly hide the back of the stadium seating. The design draws on the community’s nautical and industrial […]
Glass envelope with oval footprint creates fitting memorial
July 1st, 2008
Hightex GmbH | Rimsting, Germany On the third anniversary of the Atocha railway terminal bomb attack in Madrid, Spain, March 2004, the Spanish Royal Family inaugurated the memorial in memory of the victims. FAM, a group of young architects in Madrid, designed a glass envelope with an oval footprint on top of the subterranean visitor […]
Highest green-faced slope in U.S. provides economical construction option
July 1st, 2008
TenCate Geosynthetics | Pendergrass, Ga., United States The 1H:1V geosynthetic-reinforced steepened slope, which won an Award of Excellence in the geosynthetic projects category of the 2007 International Achievement Awards, as constructed at the southwest end of Runway 5 to extend it approximately 152m. To our knowledge, this is the highest green-faced (vegetated) 1H:1V slope constructed […]
Polyester geogrids used to build large retaining walls
July 1st, 2008
ML Ingenieria | México, D.F. Recently, this company bought inexpensive land in order to build houses for its employees. However, the land had very irregular topography, with huge level differences. This project, which won an Outstanding Achievement Award in the geosynthetic projects category of the 2007 International Achievement Awards, used special polyester geogrids to build […]
Jeffersonian geometry
July 1st, 2008
Architecture students at the University of Virginia abandon traditional construction methods. U Virginia founding father Thomas Jefferson would be proud. By Paula Feigum Each spring, University of Virginia students embark on a journey with Professor Earl Mark to discover the widening horizons of fabric architecture. Building on a curriculum-wide focus—including units in landscape and other […]
Canopy uplifts NYC
July 1st, 2008
Tentnology erects an elegant canopy for NYC’s subway station in front of the World Trade Center memorial site. By Brianna Bowne In New York City, adjacent to Manhattan’s most poignant site, a massive white canopy has watched over the comings and goings of subway patrons since September 2007. Tentnology’s Saddlespan™ installation over the entrance to […]
Tension revisited: MPanel
July 1st, 2008
The first of Fabric Architecture’s series of reviews of tension structure software ran in these pages 10 years ago. Time for an update. Reviewed by Mahesh Senagala Even with computer-aided design systems, fabric structures present a challenge. The fabrics industry in general and the tensile fabrics industry in particular increasingly rely on sophisticated software for […]