A “bearable” high-efficiency building design

May 1, 2013  |  Case Studies, Exteriors, Features

Building energy research in Germany finds inspiration from polar bears. By Mark Zeh Fabric materials offer quite a few advantages in the construction of roofs, such as efficiency of material use, ease of transport and good light transmissivity, but a big disadvantage is their poor thermal insulation…
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Fabric ceiling panels help create a classic retrofit

May 1, 2013  |  Exteriors

A central London office building, revamped to turn a historic single-business office into several separate spaces, now sports a modern face-lift designed to appeal to prospective customers. Architects from Sturgis Associates LLP, London, England, installed private balconies on the 33 Kingsway buildi…
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Latin American symposium on tensile structures

May 1, 2013  |  Exteriors

Now a biannual event, the Latin American Symposium of Tensile Structures has much to share. By Josep I. de Llorens The Fifth Latin American Symposium of Tensile Structures (Tens-Scl 2012), was held in September 2012 in Santiago, Chile. Organized by the School of Architecture, Pontifical Catholic Uni…
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Going global with digital fabrication

May 1, 2013  |  Exteriors, Features, Structure Basics

Advanced technology opens door to new design possibilities. By Frank Edgerton Martin With digital fabrication, the fabric industry has a powerful tool to combine international expertise with on-the-ground knowledge of local building conditions and client needs. Thanks to computer-aided design softwa…
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Structure shades a transit station

May 1, 2013  |  Case Studies, Exteriors, Features

A Knoxville, Tenn., transit complex creates a focused center—complete with shade. The John J. Duncan Jr. Knoxville Station Transit Center, located in downtown Knoxville, Tenn., serves as the city’s major transportation hub to more than 3.5 million passengers a year. Built over James Whit…
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Legacy, what legacy?

January 23, 2013  |  Exteriors

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 N…
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Walking atop the O2 Dome

January 1, 2013  |  Exteriors, Features, Structure Basics

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 w…
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Dynamic skins on the desert

January 1, 2013  |  Case Studies, Exteriors, Features

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 …
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Twin canopies set the stage

January 1, 2013  |  Exteriors, Features

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 i…
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A colorful canopy “UR” way

January 1, 2013  |  Exteriors, Features, Graphics

An undulating and colorful canopy brings praise, and customers, to a seaside haunt. Yogurt UR Way, a new business on the Hollywood Beach Boardwalk in Hollywood, Fla., needed an entry canopy for an existing building it was adapting for its newest franchise shop. Awnings of Hollywood, designers and fa…
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