TEXTILES.ORG
Inflatable architecture on display
September 1st, 2021
The history of inflatable architecture is told through an exhibition that includes everything from live displays to conceptual artwork, such as this proposal for an inflatable venue for the Spanish Pavilion at Expo Dubai 2020 by architectural firms SelgasCano and FRPO. Photo: © SelgasCano + FRPO. The first inflatable, the hot-air balloon, was invented in […]
‘Fabricating Networks’ amplifies the invisible
August 1st, 2021
Installation view of “Reconstructions: Architecture and Blackness in America,” The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Feb. 27 to May 31, 2021. © 2021 The Museum of Modern Art. Photo: Robert Gerhardt. Architect Felecia Davis used active textiles and advanced knitting technologies to create “Fabricating Networks,” on display at New York’s Museum of Modern Art […]
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 […]
Fabric-covered classrooms earn OFPANZ Supreme Award
January 1st, 2021
Valmex® Lodge de Luxe from Mehler Texnologies provides a waterproof outer skin to the wooden frames and shells of these classroom pods, along with a green aesthetic that allows the buildings to blend into the environment. Photos: Mehler Texnologies/Low & Bonar GmbH. New Zealand’s Green School describes its campus as “a place for inspired learning,” […]
LA’s SoFi Stadium sets a new standard with massive roof and video display
January 1st, 2021
The 46 lower mesh panels were partially printed with graphics prior to cutting and welding, which required that the graphics align vertically across welded seams and horizontally across the aluminum frame members. Photo: Celina Tent. Featuring the world’s largest cable net roof and the world’s largest LED content playback system, SoFi Stadium, the new home […]
The inside scoop on shade, lighting and acoustics
November 10th, 2020
Photo credit: Transformit In the 2020 IFAI Virtual Expo presentation, “The Inside Scoop on Shade, Lighting and Acoustics,” Cynthia Thompson, MFA, president and founder of Transformit in Gorham, Maine, wowed conference participants with a slideshow of her company’s projects that highlight the stunning possibilities of interior fabric architecture. Thompson said many different markets can make […]
An architecturally significant performance hall gets a new canopy
August 1st, 2020
When Hurricane Irma slammed into Florida in 2017, the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota, Fla., was one of many buildings damaged. In particular, the fabric of the hall’s front canopy needed to be replaced. The new beige entrance canopy to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota, Fla., complements the lavender seashell […]
New airport canopies welcome travelers
May 1st, 2020
Rising 72 feet over passengers and traffic, newly constructed canopies provide protection from the elements for visitors to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Photo: FabriTec Structures. More than 107 million travelers pass through the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, making it the busiest airport in the world. With all of the traffic, airport management developed a plan […]
Revitalizing area culture with a cozy NOOK
April 1st, 2020
The NOOK is a space purposely designed without a specific function in order to encourage the community to be spontaneous and use it in a myriad of creative ways. Photos: Yuchen Chao. In the city of Taitung in Taiwan, there is a lot of history around an old train station, abandoned for more than a […]
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 […]