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Tensile fabric reigns in recent interior projects
September 1st, 2007
Some of the most interesting interior fabric structures are found behind (private) doors. By Ed Matson Over the past 10 years, interior tensile fabric structures have advanced greatly from the arrangements of stretched cotton stapled to wooden batons that were typical for the time. Now, with a wide range of both synthetic and natural fabrics, […]
Digitally printed fabric creates illusion of concrete façade
September 1st, 2007
The fabric was used when the Abteiberg Museum moved temporarily into a vacant theater. By Jake Kulju On September 18, 2006, in Mönchengladbach, Germany, the Abteiberg Museum shut down for renovations that are scheduled to continue until November, 2007. In order to keep the museum’s services available to the public, the town offered a vacant […]
Casebook: Going green
September 1st, 2007
An occasional reference section on landscape design using technical textiles and geosynthetics for aesthetic ends. The long-term success of a geosynthetics installation depends not simply upon the presence of geosynthetics but on how well they work in conjunction with natural elements, particularly vegetation. Plants and trees possess their own unique performance and aesthetic characteristics. We […]
Keeping outdoor fabrics clean
September 1st, 2007
The basics of fabric cleaning and maintenance for awnings, canopies and fabric structures. By Todd Willmert We think of fabric maintenance and our thoughts turn to washing machines or the thread and needle—the basic techniques used on our clothing. Fabric can easily, readily be cleaned and patched, and therein lies part of its appeal. Of […]
Lightweight fabric roof covers glazed café façade
September 1st, 2007
Café Lichtblick may be Innsbruck’s favorite hot spot. High over the roofs of Innsbruck, Austria, on the rooftop of City Hall, sits the café and restaurant Lichtblick (“bright spot”). True to its name, the café’s lucid and open structure has unencumbered sightlines of the sublime mountains surrounding the city due to a glazed façade made […]
Fabric roofing solution helps a grand race get grander
September 1st, 2007
BDP’s Aintree Racecourse redevelopment in Liverpool is a winner. By Helen Elias Aintree, Liverpool, is the spiritual home of the UK’s steeplechase community. The track is hallowed ground for many, not least because of its hosting every year of the Grand National, a challenging event known in racing circles and beyond as the most famous […]
Architectural structures comprise NASCAR “fan zone” in Vegas
September 1st, 2007
A new Las Vegas motor speedway is a crowd pleaser. By Mason Riddle Gentlemen, start your engines. NASCAR fans, you check out the new Neon Garage. Over the roar of those engines, NASCAR fans at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) could not be more ecstatic. Why? In March 2007, at the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400, the innovative […]
Two innovative fabric structures used for racing
September 1st, 2007
Temporary digs for the annual Cartier Polo Silver Cup in Switzerland, and headquarters for the China-France team for the America’s Cup yacht races in Valencia, Spain. Alpine splendor Gstaad, Switzerland, may not command the international diplomacy attention that Geneva or Zurich regularly do; however, it can claim bragging rights as a venue for some top […]
FTL invents a new breed of structures
September 1st, 2007
Finding exciting forms for performance venues and in the process, inventing a new breed of structures. By Mason Riddle For more than two decades, FTL Design Engineering Studio has been a critical player in creating a new breed of performing art space across the country. Designers and engineers of lightweight buildings and tensile structures, the […]
Fabric framework opens up new possibilities in building design
September 1st, 2007
Maintaining straight lines and super-flat surfaces in construction has a price. One architect recounts his epiphany about materials while researching fabric formwork. By Kyle Martens It was nearly 10 years ago that the chief engineer came for an inspection of the construction site I was supervising. “I have never seen such straight walls up north,” […]