John Goodman Amphitheatre at MSU wins design award
December 1st, 2023
Missouri State Office of Visual Media The applause isn’t coming only from Missouri State University (MSU) theater patrons following performances in the university’s new alfresco space, the John Goodman Amphitheatre. This summer, design and development firm Fabritecture won the STA Special Commendation (Internationally Fabricated Projects) award for the project. Fabritecture/Gayle Babcock, Architectural Imageworks LLC For […]
Textiles help turn mycelium into building material
December 1st, 2023
BioKnit, a prototype researchers created using mycocrete. They constructed the self-supporting dome by securing merino yarn tubes to a solid structure and then filled the tubes with mycocrete. Image: The Hub for Biotechnology in the Built Environment A team of scientists and engineers in the Living Textiles Research Group in the Hub for Biotechnology in […]
Renewed strength in domestic manufacturing
December 1st, 2023
Advanced economies are now serious about boosting their manufacturing. In the U.S., textile market opportunities include high-end segments such as medical, aerospace, defense and infrastructure. Image: Dreamstime Since the pandemic, the world economy has been full of anomalies. With a strong labor market, one normally expects higher demand in daily nonessentials such as clothing, home […]
Advanced Textiles Expo 2023 Show Stoppers
December 1st, 2023
The winners of the Advanced Textiles Expo 2023 Show Stoppers were announced today as the show kicked off in Orlando, FL. The Show Stopper Awards are designed to recognize the most popular new products each year from Advanced Textiles Expo (formerly IFAI Expo) exhibitors. The awards acknowledge the newest, most innovative, useful and exciting, effective, […]
China Association for Spatial Structure of China Steel Construction Association celebrates 30th anniversary
December 1st, 2023
On October 13-16, 2023, the 8th National Member Congress and the 18th National Space Structure Technology Exchange Conference of China Association for Spatial Structure of China Steel Construction Association were successfully held in Shanghai, and the 30th anniversary celebration of China Association for Spatial Structure was grandly held. Nearly 600 delegates from universities, research institutes, […]
Year-round thermal comfort with ETFE
November 1st, 2023
How do you provide for animals and plants that normally are found in Southeast Asia (latitude 10 degrees north of the Equator) in a building that is located at 52 degrees latitude, and in the winter can cope with average seasonal temps around 40°F? This was the challenge presented to the zoo in Lodz, Poland, […]
Textiles enhance public and private spaces
November 1st, 2023
The great urban critic Jane Jacobs—known for her highly influential and transformative 1961 book The Death and Life of Great American Cities—noted that there are many repeatable factors that can determine the success of public spaces, not the least being that any neighborhood could be deemed welcoming (hence successful and alive) if it includes aspects […]
Andrea Lynn on how shade sails have kept her creative
November 1st, 2023
It takes less than a five-minute conversation with Andrea Lynn to appreciate her earnest enthusiasm for shade sails—which is why her reflection on a decades-long career in the industry may come as a surprise. “I jumped into the business with rose-colored glasses on,” she muses. “This journey has been more than worthwhile, but if I […]
Chemical recycling may offer a solution to textile waste
November 1st, 2023
Among the bio-based chemicals in Circa Group’s portfolio is Cyrene™, a novel solvent that is being used by Textile Change, a company that has developed technology for the recycling of textile waste. Shown here is a Textile Change pilot plant that will be using Cyrene as well as other solvents during its trial run. Photo: […]
Inflatable space habitats undergo testing
November 1st, 2023
The 2019 full-scale habitat prototype. Photo: ILC Dover Inflatable habitats are not only under development for the moon but also low Earth orbit (LEO). Sierra Space Corp. and Blue Origin are two of the organizations involved with the Orbital Reef, the first commercial space station. The goal is having it operational before the end of […]