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Avenue of opportunity: Streetscapes
October 1st, 2021
Street appeal for this South Florida restaurant was greatly enhanced with a fabric canopy. Photo: Awnings of Hollywood. 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 […]
Putting the art in fabric architecture
June 1st, 2021
“The Canyon” installation at the Salt Lake City International Airport was inspired by Utah’s slot canyons formed from water rushing through rock over millions of years. Photo: © Recury, Dreamstime. 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 […]
Creating ‘The Canyon’
June 1st, 2021
Installation of "The Canyon" fabric sculpture at the Salt Lake City International Airport. Photo: Rainier Display. EDITOR’S NOTE: For the new terminal complex at the Salt Lake City International Airport, a specially commissioned public art installation involved architectural fabric. The visually stunning fabric sculpture “The Canyon” by public artist Gordon Huether was accomplished by a […]
Digital revolution transforms fabric structures
May 1st, 2021
The fabrication advantages of automation include labor and time savings and greater accuracies. Autometrix Inc. cutting and patterning equipment is often used for pattern drafting and nesting to minimize waste and reduce costs. Photo: Autometrix Inc. New software and computer-driven fabrication speed production and improve accuracy. by Bruce N. Wright, FAIA While CNC (computer numerical […]
New Eisenhower Memorial features metal mesh tapestry
March 1st, 2021
In September 2020, the dedication of the Eisenhower Memorial took place in Washington, D.C., commemorating the life and accomplishments of General and U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The dedication was originally scheduled for May 15, 2020, to coincide with the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. […]
Protective fabric mesh surrounds a landmark tower
July 1st, 2020
A fabric-clad tower in southern Germany brings technicians, elevator experts and the public together in one spectacular vertical setting. By Bruce N. Wright, FAIA The fabric-wrapped ThyssenKrupp test tower in Rottweil, Germany, is used to test and certify high-speed elevators, reducing development time of skyscrapers. The tower’s observation deck offers visitors stunning views of the […]
Innovative fabric facades
May 1st, 2020
Changing the look and function of architecture for a sustainable future. by Bruce N. Wright, FAIA Architects are fond of describing their buildings in the metaphoric terms of the human body. The supporting structure is often referred to as the skeleton that holds it up; the enclosure (or envelope) is the skin that protects the […]
Channeling nature through fabric at Allianz Field
September 1st, 2019
Dramatic Allianz Field soccer stadium in Minnesota takes its cues from Lake Superior and aurora borealis. By Bruce N. Wright, AIA Soccer is an internationally loved sport for many reasons, but one draw has to be the fluid physicality of the athletes. The new Allianz Field soccer stadium in St. Paul, Minn., reflects this dynamic […]
Fabrics bring museum exhibits to life
September 1st, 2018
Visitors to the new Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in Jackson, Miss., are bound to be moved by the multiplicity of impressions, sounds, lights and graphic images that could only be presented with the aid of fabric. “This Little Light of Mine,” the name of the main exhibition at the Jackson museum, aims to immerse visitors […]
‘Mass to membrane’ continues to influence the future of architecture
August 1st, 2018
Nicholas “Nic” Goldsmith, FAIA, has been a major player for more than 40 years in the development of fabric architecture in North America and around the globe through his leadership of the innovative architectural/engineering firm FTL Design Engineering Studio, based in New York City. I’ve known Nic for more than 20 of those years, and […]