Glenn Russell & Wayne Heflin: Strength in Simplicity

November 1, 2021  |  Features

In 1984, Wayne Heflin and Glenn Russell met in a hallway of a U.S. handbag manufacturer. A seasoned professional within the fashion industry, Russell was the company’s financial controller. Heflin, a Vietnam veteran who entered the leather goods and fashion arena after his service ended, had recen…
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Avenue of opportunity: Streetscapes

October 1, 2021  |  Features

The COVID-19 pandemic has opened up tens of thousands of public gathering spaces by forcing proprietors to move their services outdoors and onto sidewalks and street fronts. While it is unclear how long these outdoor public sheltered spaces will remain in place, reports across the U.S. indicate that…
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Parking structure punctuates Miami skyline

October 1, 2021  |  Features

Big Span Structures LLC, a provider of concept-to-completion solutions for signature lightweight tensile membrane structures, has completed a new tensile membrane shading structure on the top deck of the parking garage of the Care Resource Community Health Centers facility in Midtown Miami, Fla.&nbs…
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Shade sails find a place in the sun

September 1, 2021  |  Features

For something that’s been around for thousands of years—as far back as the Roman Colosseum, if not longer—shade sails in North America have a reputation as “the new kid on the block.” While using tensioned sails to provide shade for both commercial and residential structures has been a fun…
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Birdair installs tensile roof retrofit

September 1, 2021  |  Features

Custom membrane provider Birdair Inc. has brought a modern look to a shopping mall in Lancaster, Pa., with the installation of a retrofitted Tensotherm™ translucent insulated tensioned membrane system. The three-layer Tensotherm roof replaced a single-layer tensile membrane roof Birdair installed …
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Covering climate change

August 1, 2021  |  Features

Broiling summers, harsh winters, drought, fires, hurricanes—climate change is making life harder, more fraught and dangerous for people across the globe. While political leaders and governments argue over policies and regulations, the specialty fabrics industry is stepping up to devise products to…
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2021 State of the Industry

August 1, 2021  |  Features

The full 2021 State of the Industry report will be available for purchase later this year at the IFAI e-store, www.IFAI.com/estore. The full report takes a deep dive into business types and market segments. Introduction to the research This research highlights findings from more than 300 members of …
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Up against a wall

July 1, 2021  |  Features

Wallpaper has been around for centuries—since the 16th century to be exact. In its earliest iterations, wallpaper was printed on paper in monochrome black ink, and color soon followed with the introduction of polychrome block printing. Eventually, in the late 1960s/early 1970s, vinyl wallpaper too…
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Donato Fraioli continues ASATI’s tradition of innovation

July 1, 2021  |  Features

The news headlines were alarming. Just before Christmas 2003, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that a case of deadly mad cow disease had been reported in Washington state.  Halfway across the country, animal disease scientists working in Ames, Iowa, faced a double whammy. Not only w…
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Putting the art in fabric architecture

June 1, 2021  |  Features

A successful work of public art today should not be treated as an object sitting in the environment; rather it should be interpreted as the environment. —James Wines, American artist and architect James Wines is known as a provocative artist who creates building-sized installations that some would…
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