By Frank Edgerton Martin, Fabric Architecture,May 2013
With digital fabrication, the fabric industry has a powerful tool to combine international expertise with on-the-ground knowledge of local building conditions and client needs. Thanks to computer-aided design software and the Internet, clients, designers, fabricators and manufacturers can work together across time zones and long distances. The combination of digital design and digitally-controlled fabrication is leading to creative and unexpected production that is redefining the industry and blurring traditional boundaries of the trades.
In almost all projects, digital fabricators can work with local architects familiar with local codes and the client’s needs. As Murray Higgs, CEO of Auckland-based Structurflex, explains, “architects provide their concept design, the function and location of the projects…and [details about] the particular translucency required.”
Structurflex is in constant contact with fabric suppliers and manufacturers who “regularly keep us up to date on new products and their marketing priorities,” Higgs says. He goes on to praise fabric manufacturers for their promotion of fabric architecture and helping to grow the total market.
The five-story, 60’s era West Hills Medical Office Building in Los Angeles was due for an exterior facelift. A complete exterior renovation by Michael W. Folonis Architects revealed that water infiltration had caused structural damage to the existing horizontal plaster awnings; removing them was a costly process that consumed much of the project budget. This […]
We are pleased to have collaborated with KieranTimberlake and the outfit of a parking structure on the Rice University Campus. In their blog post, they describe the concepts they employed to create an iconic sculptural element. For more details see the KieranTimberlake blog post.
