Opening soon…
July 20th, 2011
The largest composite building in the world sees first panels put in place on the new façade of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam As reported in Fabric Architecture, July 2010, the museum façade redesign by Benthem Crouwel Architects consists of a single surface of Teijin Twaron and Toho Tenax fiber composite panels covering an area […]
“Safe landing†update
July 15th, 2011
Our lead news story in the May/June 2010 issue, by contributing editor Mark Zeh, introduced a dynamic design of a helicopter landing pad for the University Clinic of Aachen, Germany. Since then, we’ve learned that the landing pad, designed by German architects OX2architekten, has been constructed and is in active use. A 22-hour time-lapse video […]
Amazon Sports Complex—Manaus
July 1st, 2011
Located in the Amazon jungle 1,500km from the sea, Manaus lies at the convergence of the Rio Negro and Rio Solimões that form the Amazon River. The Amazon Sports Complex is an integrated sports park that includes multi-purpose venues and a swimming center. The roof structure is made of mutually supporting cantilevers of hollow core […]
The Cloud: Part architectural shelter, part public art
July 1st, 2011
This temporary installation was a design-build exercise for architecture students. By Mason Riddle When University of Minnesota architecture professor Benjamin Ibarra-Sevilla determined that the concepts of “structure, geometry and handcraft” would frame a temporary project, what did he and graduate students Kirk Mazzeo and Josh Grenier build? A structure as unbricklike as a cloud? Exactly. […]
Miami home features carport canopy and awning entry
July 1st, 2011
A historic residence in a prestigious Miami Beach neighborhood makes new additions, to perfection Located on one of the four Sunset Islands in Miami Beach, Fla., this 1940 historic residence—recently renovated—was made into a modern tropical haven. The renovating architect’s work focused on an interior patio area, using clean lines with a mix of tropical […]
Membrane canopy structures cover Australian amphitheater
July 1st, 2011
The Nerang State High School Amphitheater welcomes student participation, under fabric shades Located in Queensland, and not far from Australia’s famous Gold Coast, the Nerang State High School Amphitheater is a unique setting comprised of two membrane canopy structures grouped around a concrete slab stage and semicircular concrete stepped seating. The design, by Lightwave Architectural, […]
IV Latin-America design challenge
July 1st, 2011
Latin-American student designs explore future directions of tension structures/materials For the student design challenge of the IV Latin-American Symposium of Tensile Structures held this April in Uruguay (see "Tension structures in the southern hemisphere"), entries were received from 10 student teams representing six countries. Student designs were entered from Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Spain, Uruguay […]
Antiguo Palacio del Ayuntamiento—La Ciudad de México
July 1st, 2011
Recent work by Valarias DRV in downtown Mexico City By Víctor Hugo Roldán Gonzáles Built in 1527, the Antiguo Palacio del Ayuntamiento, (Town Council Palace) —one of the first ayuntamientos in America—was the first building in Mexico City, and is also the place where many important historic events of this country have occurred. This magnificent […]
La Plata Stadium—Argentina
July 1st, 2011
Argentina venue is the first PTFE-covered stadium in South America In March 2011, the tensile fabric roof work was completed ahead of schedule and La Plata Stadium celebrated its reopening with an inauguration ceremony. The stadium has already hosted its first football (soccer) match and three concerts by Irish rock band U2. To accommodate the […]
Mobilizarte: Mobile art pavilion
July 1st, 2011
Riding on a cloud, promoting Brazil and art By Mason Riddle In reality, art and sports are not such odd bedfellows. And Mobilizarte proves it. The 500m2 mobile art pavilion will tour Brazil for four years beginning in the summer of 2012, making stops at the 2014 FIFA World Cup match sites, and concluding it […]