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Inflatable underground geodesic homes tested by Pneumocell
May 1st, 2026
The dual-layer textile membrane weighs less than 1 kilogram per square meter (3 ounces per square foot). The outer layer is a polyester, coated on both sides with polyurethane (PU), and the inner is a single-sided PU-coated polyester textile. Image: Pneumocell Inspired by their research on inflatable structures as moon habitats, the team at Pneumocell, […]
ATA Japan members showcased at World Expo 2025 in Osaka
August 1st, 2025
The Future City pavilion, which showcases advanced urban concepts and transformative technologies, is made of a polyester mesh coated with PVC and titanium dioxide, which allows it to be self-cleaning with sunlight and rain while also reducing pollution in the air. It spans 150 meters (492 feet) in length. Image: Taiyo Kogyo ATA Japan members […]
Pvilion’s solar ag buildings could take farmers off the grid
May 1st, 2025
Pvilion and Accu-Steel Inc. are testing a heavy-duty solar-powered industrial and agricultural building that can supply power for farmers. The fabric is NovaShield® HDPE. Image: Pvilion Solar-structure manufacturer Pvilion, of Brooklyn, N.Y., is partnering with fabric ag building manufacturer Accu-Steel Inc., headquartered in Templeton, Iowa, to test an “agrivoltaic” structure for farmers. With the addition […]
GuildWorks gives a California park its first shade
March 1st, 2025
River Park in Petaluma, Calif., is transforming. Its inaugural structure is the peninsula’s first shaded area—there aren’t even any trees—underneath a shade sail array composed of diamond shapes and providing a covered area more than 70 feet in diameter. It rises 20 feet and was created by GuildWorks LLC of Portland, Ore. “We see our […]
Functional and fanciful fabric sculptures embrace Google building
January 1st, 2024
When Google’s Bay View campus opened in Mountain View, Calif., last year, employees entering the largest building were greeted by sculptural fabric elements, Eddy and Shroud, designed by Jenny Sabin Studio. They stand tall in the open courtyard area, where there are collaboration spaces and cafes. The second floor contains employees’ individual workspaces. Eddy is […]
Structured symbolism: ‘Wings over Stinson’ custom architecture
January 1st, 2020
International Tension Structures lifts a community’s sense of pride, one 50-foot, membrane-wrapped steel wing at a time. By Holly Eamon Architecture without a definitive function is not an easy sell. But it’s rarely a regret. “The concept is hard for people to digest, especially early on in a project,” says Jacob Schwartz, director of engineering […]
Beyond the rectangle
December 1st, 2015
Fabric structure manufacturers are stretching their boundaries with new shapes and flexible materials for temporary structures for events. Consider, if you will, the Pythagoreans, who dissected a sphere as early as 600 B.C. Latecomers like Plato and Buckminster Fuller took the ball and ran with it, so to speak. But in 2015, Platonic polyhedral/geodesic domes […]