 With GuildWorks' Fabric Architecture, the Creative Options Are Sky HighTurns out, fabric is good for a lot more in architecture than tents and umbrellas. It can replace other building materials as a permanent solution in many applications. “It is often misunderstood that fabrics might be something that are easily blown away or damaged when really they can be a long-term solution,” says Mar Ricketts, CEO and senior design principal at fabric architecture company GuildWorks. GuildWorks has been producing, designing, and installing fabric structures for more than 20 years. During that time they have pushed the boundaries of what was once thought to be possible with tension fabric structures. “We are now building on a larger scale than ever before,” he says. The company has built inspiring structures for everyone from the likes of Oracle and Nike to hospitals and civic parks. The benefits of fabric run the gamut—exceeding sustainability standards, managing stormwater, reducing urban heat island effect, and offering quick install times, design flexibility, durability, and low maintenance. “It’s really a combination of beauty and form with minimal materials,” Ricketts says. The design flexibility of tension fabric structures allows for endless creative potential with few limitations. “It’s more than a structure. We are creating environments for people. We are creating a whole feel,” says Sebastian Collet, vice president and senior design principal. “It’s not just mere protection from elements but also a greater meaning behind what makes architecture special.” To read more from this article online, visit gb&d >>> This is outstanding mini feature documentary illustrates some of the aspects of our work from the perspective of our staff and principles. It's nice to be able to finally share a glimpse into our process and production in addition to our finished fabric environments. Thanks to Kevin at Diggable Monkey for putting it all together and helping us tell more of our story. GuildWorks is proud to announce, that "Dancing Sky", a permanent installation in downtown Phoenix, Arizona, has started to gain national attention. Much appreciation, to the folks at Specialty Fabrics Review, an outstanding monthly print and online resource for essential information on the specialty fabrics industry, published by the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI); which GuildWorks is a proud member. This link may only be active for the next month or so, but we welcome to you to visit their website  September 1st, 2018 Art aloft: dancing with the breeze Downtown Phoenix’s Arizona Center is undergoing a major transformation. One of the objectives was to open up the inward-looking space to connect it to the surrounding neighborhood, creating a more interactive and spontaneous experience for the public. The one-million-square-foot multi-use project includes shopping, restaurants, entertainment, office space and residential units. Creating space within the center where people can wander and relax was an important consideration. The developers wanted a large-scale art piece that would fill the void in the long courtyard spaces—something dynamic and one-of-a-kind that makes a lasting impression. So they turned to Guildworks, a Portland, Oregon, firm specializing in tension structures and fabric. The design was limited by installation requirements, and had to be anchored to an existing building without requiring major structural work. Because a fabric structure of this size could generate considerable wind loads, Guildworks designed "Dancing Sky", a tensioned net structure that allows the wind to blow through. Guildworks built a scale model of "Dancing Sky" to understand how the net system would work, as well as multiple full-scale mockups to make needed adjustments and fabricate the art piece accurately. The installation consists of three interconnected tension net structures that measure more than 300 feet long, with some individual pieces measuring 115 feet. The two primary structures are supported by 70-foot tilted steel masts, and a smaller piece is suspended between them. Smaller fabric pieces are suspended between the nets as accents. For more information, visit www.guildworks.com. To learn and see even more about this project, visit the link below for our video and additional photos, as well as a case study from March 2018. Dancing Sky" Permanent Art Installation Downtown Phoenix >>> 
Dancing Sky: As one walks through this space, looking up through layers of net and fabric, perspectives change and they experience an ever changing and artistic display. The shadows of net and fabric dance around the courtyard as the sun and light shifts through the day. Tensioned Nets -vs- Fabric One of the major limitations we faced; how to anchor a large scale installation to an existing building that was designed over 30 years ago without fabric structures being added in mind. In order to limit the otherwise tremendous wind loads that a fabric structure would generate, we decided to go forward with a tensioned net structure that would allow the wind to blow through. Though similar in many ways to tension fabric architecture, the use of nets required a fair amount of R&D. We built a scale model of the structure to help study the net system as well as multiple full scale mock ups to help us optimize the form and accurately fabricate the design. Project Goals The client contacted us because they were looking for something outside the box, some different than a typical tension structure. After a couple rounds of sketches and different concepts, we narrowed in on on this art installation to achieve the project goals. • One of a kind art piece that would make this space unique. • Large scale art to fill the void in the long courtyard spaces • Use of masts to bring the height above the roof height. • Anchored to existing building without requiring major structural work. • Dynamic and abstract complex forms
 Check out the New Website: GuildWorks first website started in 1994, over the years it had transformed in different ways, but in January 2018 we presented our latest and greatest. A fully redesigned presentation, and we are very proud to share it with all our friends, fans, clients and you. To Learn More http://www.GuildWorks.com Pickathon just posted a fresh video today. This is episode three from season one of their new "Design Series" featuring our very own Mar Ricketts, founder of GuildWorks.... the main brains behind this magnificent iconic fabric installation. Check it out!
 Philippe Glade has been documenting the extraordinary architecture and temporary structures of Burning Man for the past 20 years. In his latest work, Black Rock City, NV The New Ephemeral Architecture of Burning Man you are given 144 pages with 200 beautiful color images of Philippe Glade's exceptional photography. His efforts in this compilation lead to him winning an American Graphic Design Award 2017 from the magazine Graphic Design USA in its 54th year presenting these awards. The book offers a look at installations, including Sacred Spaces Village created by Guildworks, from the last 5 years of Burning Man.  There remains approximately 850 books still available and they can be purchased up to December 15th at realpaperbooks.com through Glade's "Whatever Day Promo" (which is a pretty funny take on Black Friday/CyberMonday and all that nonsense). For a mere $37 (plus free shipping) you can own a copy of this special book and Glade has decided that at the end of the year, whatever books remain will be terminated (Baker Beach style). It was endearing reading Glade's thoughts on the creation of the book from his perspective when he noted that: "2 years were spent on Research / Writing / Editing / Design and Layout (which paid off with a 2017 Graphic Design Award) / Production and Problem Solving. The result was a burner worthy book with a tactile cloth cover and blind embossing, packed with info, data, tips and, most of all, a very large visual spectrum of our vernacular architecture." Guildworks has the honor of being showcased in the book and the pictures taken are from the 2nd year in a row that we were awarded the Golden Rebar Award For Best Camp (2012 & 2013). Guildworks has been a part of the Burning Man community for several years now and it has always been a pleasure to see Philippe Glade and his ambitious blog This Is Black Rock City appreciate our presence on the playa over the years. This new book is going to be a wonderful keepsake that will only be available for 10 more days. At $37 with FREE shipping I don't know how you can afford not to order a copy...  |
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