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Sustainable construction projects using fabric
August 1st, 2024
Perkins&Will retrofitted this University of Cincinnati research center with a mesh fabric facade. The new facade helps reduce solar heat gain and interior glare while maintaining good daylighting. Image: FlexFacades by Structurflex As the effects of climate change increasingly complicate living conditions on earth, some are looking to the moon and the tantalizing possibilities of […]
Avenue of opportunity: Streetscapes
September 1st, 2021
Street appeal for this South Florida restaurant was greatly enhanced with a fabric canopy. Photo: Awnings of Hollywood. The COVID-19 pandemic has opened up tens of thousands of public gathering spaces by forcing proprietors to move their services outdoors and onto sidewalks and street fronts. While it is unclear how long these outdoor public sheltered […]
WEB-EXTRA: Creating ‘The Canyon’
May 1st, 2021
Installation of "The Canyon" fabric sculpture at the Salt Lake City International Airport. Photo: Rainier Display. EDITOR’S NOTE: For the new terminal complex at the Salt Lake City International Airport, a specially commissioned public art installation involved architectural fabric. The visually stunning fabric sculpture “The Canyon” by public artist Gordon Huether was accomplished by a […]
Putting the art in fabric architecture
May 1st, 2021
“The Canyon” installation at the Salt Lake City International Airport was inspired by Utah’s slot canyons formed from water rushing through rock over millions of years. Photo: © Recury, Dreamstime. A successful work of public art today should not be treated as an object sitting in the environment; rather it should be interpreted as the […]
New Eisenhower Memorial features metal mesh tapestry
February 1st, 2021
In September 2020, the dedication of the Eisenhower Memorial took place in Washington, D.C., commemorating the life and accomplishments of General and U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The dedication was originally scheduled for May 15, 2020, to coincide with the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. […]
Protective fabric mesh surrounds a landmark tower
June 1st, 2020
A fabric-clad tower in southern Germany brings technicians, elevator experts and the public together in one spectacular vertical setting. By Bruce N. Wright, FAIA The fabric-wrapped ThyssenKrupp test tower in Rottweil, Germany, is used to test and certify high-speed elevators, reducing development time of skyscrapers. The tower’s observation deck offers visitors stunning views of the […]
Innovative fabric facades
April 1st, 2020
Changing the look and function of architecture for a sustainable future. by Bruce N. Wright, FAIA Architects are fond of describing their buildings in the metaphoric terms of the human body. The supporting structure is often referred to as the skeleton that holds it up; the enclosure (or envelope) is the skin that protects the […]
Channeling nature through fabric at Allianz Field
August 1st, 2019
Dramatic Allianz Field soccer stadium in Minnesota takes its cues from Lake Superior and aurora borealis. By Bruce N. Wright, AIA Soccer is an internationally loved sport for many reasons, but one draw has to be the fluid physicality of the athletes. The new Allianz Field soccer stadium in St. Paul, Minn., reflects this dynamic […]
Long-term clearspan tent installations offer a clear advantage
December 1st, 2018
For Jeff McInnes, what better proof of the validity of clearspan structures being used for permanent buildings than having his recently installed aquatic center survive Hurricane Florence in North Charleston, S.C. “We often install permanent structures that sometimes need to be in place for extended durations; anywhere from three to 30 years,” says McInnes, North […]
Fabrics bring museum exhibits to life
August 1st, 2018
Visitors to the new Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in Jackson, Miss., are bound to be moved by the multiplicity of impressions, sounds, lights and graphic images that could only be presented with the aid of fabric. “This Little Light of Mine,” the name of the main exhibition at the Jackson museum, aims to immerse visitors […]