Walking atop the O2 Dome

March 1, 2013  |  Fabric Structures, Projects

A walkway above a fabric structure offers an adventurous experience—and a spectacular view of London. This is no walk in the park. The “Up at The O2” adventurer is 53 meters above the ground—safely tethered to the structure—but still, on a walkway only 3 meters wide and…
Read More
Colorful fiber net hovers over Amsterdam

February 1, 2013  |  Fabric Structures, Projects

Janet Echelman’s floating, organic fiber structures illuminated by light have astounded viewers from Portugal to India to Australia with their serene and poetic motion in space. Her most recent work appeared at the Amsterdam Light Festival in January, where a colorful net hovering over the Ams…
Read More
Modular and multi-sensory fabric exhibit

February 1, 2013  |  Fabric Structures, Projects

[Fabric Images Inc.] Elgin, Ill., U.S.A. The inspiration for this unique exhibit design was the concept of shadows and the way they change on and around the tension fabric shapes based on light and projections. Seven organic tension fabric shapes created this unique 57-foot-by-20-foot environment, i…
Read More
Fabric display completes the concept

February 1, 2013  |  Fabric Structures, Projects

[Transformits] Gorham, Maine, U.S.A. The designers for a hospitality trade show in Nashville, Tenn., assembled a team of suppliers to create a total environment, turning a 60,000 square-foot warehouse into multiple “vignettes” with complete mockups of hotel environments: guest rooms, res…
Read More
Backlit and zipped exhibit steals the show

February 1, 2013  |  Fabric Structures, Graphics, Projects

[Lawrence Fabric & Metal Structures Inc.] St. Louis, Mo., U.S.A The client for an exhibit requested a double-sided radius backlit frame for their upcoming trade show, supplying the specs for their existing support frames that Lawrence Fabric & Metal Structures’ frame design needed to a…
Read More
Dazzling interactive displays

February 1, 2013  |  Fabric Structures, Features, Graphics, Projects

Multimedia technology takes fabric exhibits to a new level. By Rob Coco and Bob Sneed Over the past few years, two developments have taken the custom exhibit industry by storm. One is the use of specialty fabrics in the building of custom exhibits for events, trade shows and permanent installations;…
Read More
California penguins have it made in the shade

January 1, 2013  |  Fabric Structures, Projects

A crew of Magellanic penguins, a species native to Brazil that wouldn’t recognize an ice floe, recently made its debut in Long Beach, Calif.—and not as extras in a “Happy Feet” movie. The temperate-climate penguins instead star in the June Keyes Penguin Habitat, the first pen…
Read More
Maine welcomes with dazzling fabric structures

January 1, 2013  |  Fabric Structures, Projects

Ocean Gateway is the terminal for cruise ships and buses visiting Portland, Maine, and the Greater Portland Convention and Visitors Bureau wanted an exuberant entry portal to the city and state. Tensioned fabric sculptor Cynthia Thompson, president of Transformit, a company based in Gorham, Maine, w…
Read More
Fabric canopy collects the rain at ASU

January 1, 2013  |  Fabric Structures, Projects

Fabric architecture covers urban plazas, school yards, park gathering spots and rooftop restaurants, providing protection from the sun’s harmful UV rays and unexpected precipitation, while allowing light and air to move. Arizona State University in Scottsdale, Ariz., took the idea a step furth…
Read More
Party under a ‘floating halo’

January 1, 2013  |  Fabric Structures, Projects

[Fabritecture] Kingscliff, Australia In a trendy suburb famous for its entertainment venues and nightlife, it takes a novel idea to impress. A nightclub near Kingscliff, Australia, improved its facilities by adding a weatherproof rooftop bar and lounge area, which allows the venue to be enjoyed by g…
Read More