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On the move: fabric membranes change shape
May 1st, 2012
Designing dynamic membrane structures is harder than it looks. By Mark Zeh One of the enduring visions in the use of membranes and fabrics in architecture is that structural volumes can dynamically respond to people and the environment. This vision is of buildings that can expand, contract or otherwise change shape for different uses and […]
Etude in blue: textile façade is giant dynamic screen
May 1st, 2012
Jean Nouvel’s Copenhagen Concert Hall is a dynamically responsive building, both day and night. By Mason Riddle When the DR Koncerthuset (Copenhagen Concert Hall) opened in January 2009, it reconfirmed Jean Nouvel's powers as a visionary architect. The 26,000m2 concert complex is 45m in height and encloses a series of volumes that include the main […]
The skins game: economy of scale in fabric structures
May 1st, 2012
The low and high cost of insulating fabric structures. By Samuel J. Armijos It has been 45 years since the German Pavilion was erected for Expo ’67 world’s fair in Montreal, Q.C., Canada. The structural system of this early fabric structure was a steel cable net that supported a pre-stressed textile membrane. The 7,200m2 structure […]
Lessons earned: fabric’s response to drought
May 1st, 2012
The language of shelter and sustainability frames a grammar school courtyard. As part of a campuswide redevelopment of Melbourne Girls’ Grammar School, the Wildfell middle school building seeks to create a rich learning environment for middle year children on a dense suburban site in South Yarra on the outskirts of Melbourne, Australia. Designed by Sally […]
Shading structure promotes dining alfresco-with a view
May 1st, 2012
A dynamic, responsive building in the Italian sun improves business with a flexible fabric shade. This restaurant overlooks beautiful Lake Garda in northern Italy, not far from Verona and the Swiss border. In recent years, the proprietor found demand for service such that the outdoor dining terrace needed to be pressed into use year round. […]
Northern [blue] lights: high-tech fabric in the woods
May 1st, 2012
Woven PVDF frames a cabin on the U.S.-Canada border in brilliant color. Ahti Westphal, a recent graduate in architecture from the University of Minnesota, has combined a number of personal interests with his design and construction of a luminous “Blue Cube” retreat located on Grindstone Island overlooking Rainy Lake that straddles the Minnesota-Ontario border. The […]
Raise high the (textile) roof beams
April 16th, 2012
The 17th annual international workshop on architectural membrane structures will introduce new materials and techniques in Berlin Textile Roofs 2012 May 14–16 Berlin, Germany University of Technology Berlin Textile Roofs 2012 workshop provides fundamental information, state-of-the-art textile roof engineering and practical, hands-on sessions. Lectures—presented in English—are given by leaders in the membrane structure industry. During […]
Kickoff to Euro 2012 football
April 12th, 2012
This June, a fairy tale is set to unfold when the European football championships begin in Kiev, Ukraine, with a lovingly renovated stadium where the final games of the Euro 2012 will be played. Eighty-nine years ago, in the same city on the same grounds, the “Red Stadium” was built on the site of Alekseevsky […]
IFAI seeks board candidates
April 11th, 2012
The annual “Call for IFAI board candidates” from the Industrial Fabrics Association International was sent to the association’s voting membership on Monday, April 9. Applications are due May 28, 2012. In June, the IFAI board’s Leadership Development Committee meets to consider the qualifications of the candidates. In July, the association’s membership is notified of committee’s […]
Pvilion’s new Solar Sail charging station to debut in Texas
March 19th, 2012
The Solar Sail—with integrated LED RGB lighting—brings art and science together to promote clean energy for electric cars in the Austin, Texas nearby community of Pflugerville. The Solar Sail charging station has been installed by Pvilion as a demonstration to the green energy savvy Pflugerville community, which soon will become home to the largest solar […]