Green roof manufacturers take a hard look at sustainable materials

March 1, 2008  |  Case Studies, Features

Green roof manufacturers incorporate sustainable products beyond the greenery. By Jake Kulju If it looks green, smells green and feels green, it must be green. Right? The answer, it turns out, is more complex. It is common knowledge that green technology has large positive environmental impacts: lar…
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Improving thermal-regulating properties for membrane structures

March 1, 2008  |  Features

New tensile fabrics with thermal-regulating properties: just add phase change material. By Barbara Pause Membrane materials used for roof structures of buildings provide a relatively low thermal insulation capacity compared to the classic building materials of wood, steel, fiber mats, and tarpaper. …
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Green car park’s photovoltaic system incorporates fabric

March 1, 2008  |  Case Studies, Features

Fabric complements the sustainably-inspired photovoltaic system at Springs Preserve, Las Vegas. By Craig G. Huntington The high reflectivity of architectural fabrics has long been used to minimize heat gain in buildings constructed in warm climates. At Las Vegas Springs Preserve, this same high refl…
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Reflective panel for photovoltaic system

March 1, 2008  |  Features

A tensioned valley cable (center in photo) and edge cables help provide enough curvature in the membrane panels to resist loads. Simplicity, repetition, and adjustability of the fabric panels maximizes the speed of assembly and economy of fabrication for the Las Vegas Springs Preserve. All membrane …
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Waves of canvas shade new aquatic center in Kansas

March 1, 2008  |  Exteriors, Features

Rank after rank of wave-like strips of colorful canvas greet visitors to Splash Cove in Shawnee, Kansas, near Kansas City. These undulating canopies are meant to express the overall theme of the new municipal aquatic center, “under the sea.” “We take the theme to a new level with t…
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Emanuel Milstein: Architect as sculptor

March 1, 2008  |  Features, Interiors

By Mason Riddle Not every sculptor receives a personal endorsement from the likes of I. M. Pei. But that was the case with Emanuel Milstein, architect-cum-sculptor, who worked as a young architect in Pei’s office in 1958–59. In a letter dated December 3, 1959, Pei addresses Milstein&rsqu…
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Conference explores developments in flexible fabric formworks

January 1, 2008  |  Features

The first international conference exploring recent developments in flexible fabric formworks for concrete structures, called “Fabric Formwork for Architectural Structures,” will focus on new architectural forms, hear invited speakers from numerous countries and hold workshop demonstrati…
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Exhibition and symposium brings professionals together

January 1, 2008  |  Features

As part of the international gathering celebrating Turin World Design Capital 2008, Architex brings professionals together from the textile industries with architects and designers. Tied also with the XXIII World Congress of Architecture, this exhibition and symposium will examine the latest develop…
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Fabric lights up the market

January 1, 2008  |  Features, Graphics

New technologies bring light—and the message—to fabric. By Lou Dzierzak Businesses operate on a 24-hour clock today. Capturing the attention of customers once the sun goes down requires ingenuity, creativity and staying abreast of new technologies. Since commerce after dark is too big of…
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Textiles provide hurricane protection

January 1, 2008  |  Features

Textiles are applied to revolutionize the capacity of hurricane protection systems. By Sonja Hegman The hurricane barrier/protection industry started about 50 years ago. Initially, only wood planks were used to board up windows, and the more well-to-do homeowner used wood shutters with iron clasps t…
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