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Legacy, what legacy?
January 23rd, 2013
As reported in the New York Times business section on Jan. 23, the London Olympic authorities are having trouble finding uses for many of last summer’s Olympic Games venues as promised, most notably the main Olympic Stadium. Fabric Architecture reported on many of the temporary venues in the Nov/Dec 2011 issue, and like everyone, we […]
Walking atop the O2 Dome
January 1st, 2013
Visitors to London during the 2012 Summer Olympics had a unique perspective atop the Dome. Now that the dust has settled on the London Olympics, the story can be told about how ordinary people were able to walk up the fabric roof of the O2 Dome (formerly Millennium Dome), and survive the winds and weather […]
Miró Rivera designs for Formula 1
January 1st, 2013
Austin, Texas-based Miró Rivera Architects have designed a new race course at the Circuit of the Americas, the first purpose-built Formula 1 Grand Prix™ facility in the U.S. The new facilities debuted mid-November by hosting the 2012 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix. The architects’ innovative design includes a modular “kit of parts” that can […]
Glen Raven premieres fabrics with recycled fibers
January 1st, 2013
At the annual IFAI Expo—this year held in Boston, 7–9 Nov—the awning fabrics maker Glen Raven Custom Fabrics, introduced the industry’s first awning and shade fabrics featuring recycled fiber. Sunbrella® Renaissance Unity fabrics contain 50% post-industrial recycled Sunbrella fiber, resulting in a vintage canvas look that retains fade resistance and sun protection qualities. Unity fabrics […]
Heat responsive tension structures
January 1st, 2013
Graduate students Felecia Davis and Delia Dumitrescu recently presented their research on interactive, knitted tension structures that respond to heat or electrical current. Using a tubular knitting machine, with electronic circuits running throughout the fabrics tested, Davis (a PhD candidate at MIT) and Dumitrescu (PhD candidate at The Swedish School of Textiles, BorÃ¥s), tested and […]
Dynamic skins on the desert
January 1st, 2013
A recent conference on high rise structures revealed a creative shade solution. By Mark Zeh In June 2012, the Al-Bahar Towers, designed by the international architecture firm, Aedas of London, England, opened in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. These twin towers are located on a gateway site on the Eastern Ring Road, between Abu Dhabi […]
Interior textiles: Part 1
January 1st, 2013
Laying out the context and history of tensioned fabric interiors. By Nicholas Goldsmith Unlike exterior fabric structures, such as tensile architecture and textile facades, interior fabric environments are able to use a greater diversity of materials because they aren’t required to withstand the structural criteria of wind and snow loading on their surfaces. As a […]
Case study: Louis Vuitton’s Singapore showroom
January 1st, 2013
FTL dresses up the Singapore showcase for haute couture designer Louis Vuitton’s newest store. Louis Vuitton Asia Pacific’s request was to develop an iconic custom solar shade skin for the flagship “Island Maison” at Sands Marina Bay, Singapore. The project is located in a floating “Crystal Pavilion” designed by Safdie Architects, an asymmetric building with […]
Fabrics shape a new media shop
January 1st, 2013
Three kinds of fabrics shape a 21st century production space. By Frank Edgerton Martin Like the traveling circuses in the 19th century and today, the field of new media requires workspaces that are flexible, open and able to accommodate large groups when necessary. Editors, animators and producers often work alone or online, but there are […]
Twin canopies set the stage
January 1st, 2013
A pair of new fabric canopies helps a school fulfill its mission. Denton Community College, near Manchester, England, is a comprehensive school for boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 16. It specializes in performing arts and sports. A recent £24 million addition to the school expanded its classrooms and support facilities and […]