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Indoor shade trends: Regulations, automation and more

February 1, 2025  |  Features

New regulations are affecting shade products, but that’s not the only thing going on in this market. Changes in motorization, the way products are used for light control, available color options and demand for sustainabilityare all happening too.
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New Zealand backyard shade sail solution

February 1, 2025  |  Features

The clients for this project asked for a shade sail to cover their north-west facing courtyard. The solution from SunCraft NZ, Ltd., won an Award of Excellence in the Commercial Awnings & Canopies category of the 2024 Advanced Textiles Association International Achievement Awards.
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Fabric skin completely transforms riverboat casino

January 1, 2025  |  Features

Calling it “a complete overhaul” doesn’t even begin to describe the transformation of the Bally’s riverboat casino in Kansas City, Mo., done by Structurflex of Merriam, Kan., with the FlexFacades cladding system. There’s nothing “old-timey riverboat” about the current look, although th…
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Covered rotunda offers comfort for medical center

January 1, 2025  |  Features

Tropical J’s, a Hawaii-based awning and canopy manufacturer, had completed an awning for the rear of the Straub's Medical Center during COVID. That project so impressed the CEO of the center that when it came time for another shade project, he asked his facilities manager to reach out to them agai…
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Textiles combat noise pollution

December 1, 2024  |  Features

In August, Hollywood Park, adjacent to the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., hosted the HARD Summer music festival, a two-day celebration of genres including electronic, techno, house, and drum and bass. The venue included four outdoor stages in the parking lots around the stadium, drawing more tha…
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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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