A new strategy expanded clientele of American Awning & Blind

September 1, 2025  |  Features

In 2014, Ethan Halpern moved from the music classroom as a teacher to the shop floor as president and owner of American Awning & Blind Co. in North Hollywood, Calif. A family friend owned the business and offered Halpern the opportunity to buy it. U.S.-based and financially strong with a customi…
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Shopping on the cloud

August 1, 2025  |  Features

It appears as if it is unfinished, but the design goal for this multifunctional building is to be as flexible as possible to contain and support “diverse human activities [that] can be deployed under the cloud, which can be expanded as needed,” according to PFEIFER Spatial Structures, the engine…
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ATA Japan members showcased at World Expo 2025 in Osaka

August 1, 2025  |  Features

ATA Japan members Yamaguchi New Shelter Industries Inc. and Taiyo Kogyo feature prominently in the pavilion and shade structures at World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, which began April 13 and runs until Oct. 13.
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Quantum physics inspires interactive fabric art

August 1, 2025  |  Features

A 2023 interactive art project involving two Maine artists, Cynthia Thompson, owner of Transformit in Gorham, and James LaPlante, Sputnik Animation, South Portland, led to another. The 2024 installation was inspired by quantum physics concepts and explored through giant lotus flowers.
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A bridge to the future

July 1, 2025  |  Features

A most unlikely location of placemaking can be found spanning a busy transit corridor in Redmond, Wash., with 20 lanes of freeway and two tracks of light rail speeding beneath a bridge. The Redmond Technology Station Bridge, designed by Silman’s Lightweight Structures Group of TYLin (formerly FTL…
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Shade fabrics take center stage in outdoor entertainment

July 1, 2025  |  Features

From reimagined performance spaces and circus tents to portable solar panels and giant inflatables for outdoor concerts, these fabric structure case studies go beyond the sideshows to take center stage.
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Above-pool shade project shields school swim team

July 1, 2025  |  Features

Hoover Architectural Products, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., took poolside shade to a new level—literally over and above—to protect the swim team at Pine Crest School in Boca Raton. The 8,846-square-foot shade structure, fabricated in two parts, comprises 288 yards of fabric and shades an eight-lane po…
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Game, set and matching trees

June 1, 2025  |  Features

For anyone addicted to the excitement of tennis tournaments, the greatest attractions are the four Grand Slam tournaments held throughout the year.
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Project Showcase: Element Event Solutions

June 1, 2025  |  Features

Each summer at Sobeys Stadium, Toronto, Canada, Tennis Canada hosts the National Bank Open presented by Rogers (formerly Rogers Cup)—a tournament that hosts the world’s best tennis players from the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) and WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) tours. And for at…
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Positive recruiting practices

June 1, 2025  |  Features

As the recruiting manager for Made in the Shade Tent Rentals, I embody the first hurdle on the road to employment. If 100 people apply for one job, close to a quarter will make it to the first interview with me over the phone. Of that quarter, fewer than half will make it to an in-person interview. …
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