Underground gardens
June 1st, 2015
In Taichung City, Taiwan, city dwellers wandering through Maple Garden Park are actually meandering below ground level. In November 2012, landscape engineers working with geosynthetic products from ACE Geosynthetics Inc., Taichung, Taiwan, converted a 30,000-square-meter excavation site into an urban park oasis. The area had originally been planned as the site of the Taichung International […]
Sailing—or cycling—away
June 1st, 2015
The Galveston Street Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge in Chandler, Ariz., offers walkers and bikers a safe route over Arizona State Route 101 (known as Loop 101). Completed in January 2014, it is laid out in a sleek S-curve and includes elements of fabric sails along its length. The sails mirror the theme of a nearby […]
Wrapping water
June 1st, 2015
In summer 2014, more than 150 of New York City’s iconic water tanks began playing host to artwork by acclaimed artists as well as by the city’s public school students. The work was wrapped around rooftop water tanks across the city to call attention to the global water crisis and celebrate art. Large-format digital printing […]
Fabric webcast wall connects the world
June 1st, 2015
An estimated 180,000 employees of Schneider Electric SE, headquartered in Rueil Malmaison, France, tuned in to the company’s Leadership Forum in Paris to learn about the latest strategies to “make energy safe, reliable, efficient, productive and green from plant to plug.” What the multinational audience experienced was a new presentation method, the Virtual Interactive Engagement […]
Shades of urban renewal
June 1st, 2015
Urban renewal is a trend whose time has come and stayed—and shade components are playing a starring role. It wasn’t long ago that downtowns seemed more like ghost towns in many urban areas. The promise of larger lawns, less traffic and easily accessible malls drew people to the suburbs instead of toward the cities’ hubs […]
A bigger box
June 1st, 2015
The Optima LED® StretchLite Backlit Light Box is a new addition to Stylmark’s large-format tension fabric light box collection in a standard depth of 8 inches (DS8) and a narrower depth of 5 inches (DS5). Both sizes feature a frameless appearance to keep the consumer’s attention focused on the imagery and message of the fabric […]
Form & function
June 1st, 2015
Dr. Maureen MacGillivray uses her functional apparel expertise to design and test textiles and teach those skills to the next generation. By Sigrid Tornquist People sometimes feel like all the good ideas have already been thought of and nothing new can be created,” says Maureen MacGillivray, Ph.D., professor of apparel merchandising and design at Central […]
Wearables dispute
June 1st, 2015
“Smart Shirt” patent infringement claim names well-known brands. In January 2015, Sarvint Technologies Inc., Atlanta, Ga., filed complaints for patent infringement in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia against a number of leading brands, including Adidas North America, Ralph Lauren Corp., Textronics Inc. and Victoria’s Secret. Sarvint may not be a well-known […]
Retirement plan or tax benefit?
June 1st, 2015
Successful businesses often still have things to learn about managing taxes and income. Many business owners and managers are aware of “qualified plans” or programs like 401(k) and Defined Benefit plans, which allow the sponsoring employer: current income tax deduction for plan contributions; tax deferred growth on plan assets; asset protection under ERISA (the Employee […]