Fabric Structures Archives

Fabric ceiling helps megamall keep up appearances

November 1, 2012 | Fabric Structures, Projects

Mall of America® in Bloomington, Minn., hosts more than 400 events each year, and the ceiling in its frequently used east rotunda wasn’t keeping up appearances. Design firm Gabellini Sheppard Associates Inc. developed several concepts that incorporated tensioned fabric and illumination, in…

Sky-Scan delivers deep space in domes

November 1, 2012 | Fabric Structures, Projects

Visionary companies often reach for the stars. Sky-Scan, a Nashua, N.H., company that creates digital planetariums and full-dome theaters, sought to capture space marvels and bring them indoors to an eager public. To capture more of the market for full-immersion theater experiences, Sky-Scan partner…

Wrapping up the Olympics

November 1, 2012 | Fabric Structures, Features, Projects

Strict sustainability guidelines encouraged intense collaboration in the research and manufacture of the fabric panels that wrapped London’s Olympic Stadium. By Amy Orchard It was estimated that at one time or another during the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England, a total of nearly four bil…

“Quilted box” house wins in Department of Energy Solar Decathlon

October 31, 2012 | Fabric Structures, Projects

Students from the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) came to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon with a CHIP on their shoulders. The Decathlon challenges collegiate teams to design, build and operate solar-po…

‘Demountable’ theater caters to ever-changing educational demands

October 1, 2012 | Fabric Structures, Projects

Student populations rise and fall based on factors such as birth rate, the state of the economy, availability of grant funding, school reputation and more, giving facility managers fits trying to match building capacity to student enrollment. The popularity of portable classroom structures, also cal…

Fabric roof transforms Bries beach club

October 1, 2012 | Fabric Structures, Projects

A double-layer fabric roof helps solve the seasonal issue for a beach club on Holland’s coast. By Mark Zeh Recently a new type of trendy nightclub and restaurant has appeared on the coast of Holland: the beach club. The words beach club normally evoke thoughts of summer heat, light dress and c…

Building a green roof in BogotÃ¡

September 1, 2012 | Fabric Structures, Projects

[Cidelsa] Lima, Peru Cidelsa created a cover for the indoor courtyard of the District Department of Environment, Bogotá, Colombia, designed to protect vistors and workers from the elements in the common leisure areas. Part of the first green building in Bogotá, the membrane serves an i…

Fabric structures keep concertgoers in the shade

September 1, 2012 | Fabric Structures, Projects

[Silling Assoc. Inc.] Charleston, W.Va., U.S.A. Charleston, W. Va., like many river towns, has discovered the benefits of a revitalized riverfront, including a narrow park and amphitheater on the sloping banks of the Kanawha River that winds through the city. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers created…

Modular dome architects take a square route

August 1, 2012 | Fabric Structures, Projects

Zendome GmbH, Berlin, Germany, built its successful event architecture business—and its reputation—on “the organic form of the hemisphere.” The company designs and produces mobile, modular event architecture, specializing in geodesic tensioned-fabric domes that offer maximum …

Fabric roof lets the light into school courtyard