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Robotics plus ETFE fabric architecture in a Chinese building

December 1, 2024  |  Features

When you think of robotics, architecture probably is not what first comes to mind. But design company line+, of Hangzhou, China, partnered with robotics systems company RoboticPlus.AI to create a dynamic building like no other.
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Silk fabric walls suppress sound

December 1, 2024  |  Features

Step 1: Take inspiration from the technology in noise-canceling headphones. Step 2: Apply it to textiles. Step 3: Create acoustic silk that could become cubicle or thin wall panels that reduce noise in large spaces. That’s what’s been done by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technol…
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Keeping the coffee hot while keeping the customers cool

November 1, 2024  |  Features

Like many cities, Tempe, Ariz., is coping with a number of urban challenges. A local newspaper regularly reports on a long list of critical issues, such as the need for more outdoor dining spaces, how to enhance the pedestrian experience (by mandating “8-foot free and clear space on sidewalks”) …
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Lawrence Fabric shade sails provide rooftop dining upgrade

November 1, 2024  |  Features

Relaxing in outdoor seating is a favorite part of eating at the Frisco Barroom, a restaurant located in the St. Louis, Mo., area that has both a 50-seat back patio and a shaded rooftop deck that accommodates 42. The sun protection on that upper perch was an improvement made a few years after the eat…
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Exterior fabric graphics industry creates own opportunities

November 1, 2024  |  Features

Sustainability, art, better durability and new printing technology are among the trends shaping the exterior fabric graphics market. Companies involved in all facets of this area continue to innovate, meet market demands and introduce new and better features for fabric products and the equipment tha…
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Prime Edition in a prime spot

October 1, 2024  |  Features

The Times Square Edition hotel, a new building in New York City, was designed to have a ninth-floor terrace and is set back in keeping with the other properties on Times Square. The Witkoff Group, which developed the property, wanted to create an all-season amenity especially well-suited for the ren…
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Textiles’ role in alternative energy

October 1, 2024  |  Features

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the amount of renewable capacity added to energy systems around the world grew by 50% in 2023, reaching almost 510 gigawatts (GW), with solar/photovoltaic accounting for three-quarters of additions worldwide.
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Ron Nissenbaum reflects on Humphrys’ 150 years

October 1, 2024  |  Features

With early but short-lived career aspirations of becoming a sports broadcaster, Ron “Boots” Nissenbaum instead built a 56-year career providing a different type of coverage—several types, in fact. As CEO of Humphrys, Nissenbaum oversees three separate Philadelphia, Pa.,-based companies under t…
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Made in the shade

September 1, 2024  |  Features

A historical mansion in Healdsburg, Calif., near Santa Rosa, built in 1883 with some of that era’s famous gold rush money, served as a private residence through two world wars and long after until the estate was turned into a bed and breakfast in the 1980s. A more recent change in owners triggere…
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Mesh seats keep soccer fans cooler in Houston heat

September 1, 2024  |  Features

Keeping cool in Houston, Texas, is practically a year-round endeavor, as temps can hit the 90s F even in the spring. One way the new owners of the Houston Dynamo Football Club addressed fan comfort in their stadium redo was by converting its seating from plastic chairs to mesh fabric from Serge Ferr…
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