The Shell amphitheater stuns on San Diego Bay

September 1, 2021  |  Swatches

Years in the making—and a year delayed by the pandemic—the new summer home of the San Diego Symphony is finally showing off its first-rate acoustics to audiences eager to come together as a community to enjoy live music. 
Read More
Inflatable architecture on display

September 1, 2021  |  Swatches

The first inflatable, the hot-air balloon, was invented in Paris in the 18th century. That watershed moment was followed by crewed flight, airships and military applications (along with some high-profile accidents) and inflatable enclosures. When inexpensive plastics became available in the 1960s, i…
Read More
Parking structure punctuates Miami skyline

September 1, 2021  |  Swatches

Big Span Structures LLC, a provider of concept-to-completion solutions for signature lightweight tensile membrane structures, has completed a new tensile membrane shading structure on the top deck of the parking garage of the Care Resource Community Health Centers facility in Midtown Miami, Fla. 
Read More
Barco hits sustainability milestone

September 1, 2021  |  Swatches

With record sales of its scrubs during the pandemic, health-care apparel brand Barco® has reached a sustainability milestone of 40 million plastic bottles recycled, marking a 115 percent year-over-year increase. 
Read More
New sustainable leather process

September 1, 2021  |  Swatches

Two Pennsylvania scientists have developed a proprietary process that turns discarded leather scraps into a new leather product they call Enspire Leather (the “E” is for “environmental”). Tom Tymon and Frank Fox, founders of Sustainable Composites LLC of Lancaster, Pa., have worked for more …
Read More
Natural Fiber Welding named a “Technology Pioneer”

September 1, 2021  |  Swatches

Natural Fiber Welding Inc. (NFW), Peoria, Ill., is one of 100 promising companies named 2021 Technology Pioneers by the World Economic Forum. NFW’s patented technology platforms, MIRUM® and CLARUS®, use naturally abundant resources to produce high-quality textiles without relying on plastic. Thr…
Read More
Repurposed down offers a circular bedding solution

September 1, 2021  |  Swatches

Allied Home, a Montebello, Calif.-based manufacturer of bedding products designed for a better sleep experience, has launched RENU:700 Performance Recycled Down bedding, which the company describes as “the first of its kind on the market.”
Read More
E-fiber just got smarter

September 1, 2021  |  Swatches

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harrisburg University and Rhode Island School of Design have created a fiber with digital capabilities that can sense, store, analyze and infer activity. The fiber contains memory, temperature sensors and a trained neural network progra…
Read More
Artificial skin could detect injury in prosthetics

September 1, 2021  |  Swatches

Researchers have developed an artificial skin that senses force through ionic signals and changes color, like a bruise, providing a visual cue of injury. Scientists have previously developed electronic skins (e-skins) that can sense stimuli through electron transmission; however, these electrical co…
Read More
HeiQ launches antiviral surgical mask

September 1, 2021  |  Swatches

Global materials manufacturer HeiQ has launched HeiQ MetalliQ, a surgical mask technology that destroys the viruses and bacteria tested with as much as 100 percent efficacy. The mask contains an ultrathin, pure copper coating applied via a vapor deposition process, which converts a minute amount of …
Read More