GuildWorks ~ Architecture of the Air

Arizona Center $25 Million Renovation IS Complete

3/26/2019

After several months of construction, the Arizona Center in Phoenix announced in March 2019 that its $25 million face-lift had been completed.

Among the upgrades: a unique tension structure featuring specialized nets and architectural fabric elements. The structure was designed, engineered, fabricated, and installed by GuildWorks based in Portland Oregon.

The Arizona Center is located at the corner of Third and Van Buren streets in the heart of Arizona. It features an shops; an entertainment stage; outdoor lounges; valet parking and bike racks; updated landscaping, water features and new lighting features.

The goal of the tension structure was not about creating shade, but establishing a unique artistic expression that would make the center stand out and draw people to space. Visit our Gallery to learn more in our Arizona Center Case Study.

BUSINESS IMPACT NW FEATURES GUILDWORKS

2/12/2019

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2019 / PUBLISHED IN BLOG

GUILDWORKS

“GuildWorks aims to Inspire with Lightness in form, Beauty in Structure and Grace in Movement,” reads an inspirational quote on GuildWorks’ website, a design build company in Portland, Oregon that creates fabric architecture installations. “In a lot of ways, we’re multiple companies in one,” explains Founder and Senior Design Principal, Mar Ricketts. “We design. We engineer, or specify, and then we fabricate and install.”

With one foot in the art world and the other in architecture, GuildWorks uses the sky as its canvas, creating elaborate geometric structures that are both aesthetically alluring and provide shelter. Mar founded the company nearly 25 years ago in Massachusetts, then moved it to Madison, Wisconsin before settling in Portland. In its infancy, Guildworks created tension structure kites which Mar sold to stores and distributors. The company evolved to creating work for stage sets and mobiles for lobbies and hospitals, then took another turn in Portland, where Mar started creating installations for events and outdoor summer festivals. This year GuildWorks is embarking on more permanent installations than ever before, fulfilling a dream he has had since founding the company.

“Fabric structures are visually stunning and beautiful and that’s part of what drew me to them, along with being sustainable,” recalls Mar. “The combination of being sustainable, having material sufficiency, and while offering beauty, function and form – all in one, this is what drove me into the industry.”

The materials GuildWorks uses are amongst the most sustainable options in the building market. They require less heavy equipment, fewer transport needs and contribute to greater efficiency across the board, ultimately resulting in higher efficiency in design, production and installation.
GuildWorks recently went through the rigorous process of applying to become a certified B Corporation, furthering their commitment to environmental stewardship, high social standards and inclusive business practices. Mar is also passionate about educating architects and developers about the advantages to using fabric architecture. “Many architects don’t see fabric structures as a basic material. You know, they see bricks, concrete, glass, etcetera, but membrane structures really have so many possibilities for being enclosure and weather protection, while being sustainable and making a visual statement.”

Continued on Business Impact NW >>>

ACTIAS LUNA : Feb 7-9 AT WINTER LIGHTS FESTIVAL PORTLAND

2/6/2019

GuildWorks in collaboration with Hacker Architects with Co -Architects Earth and Air present :

ACTIAS LUNA
the most beautiful moth, an immersive spectral glowing cocoon of color, fog, and music that will delightfully transport all six of your senses.

This installation will take place during the Portland Winter Lights Festival,
a city-wide event showcasing illuminated art installations, vibrant performances,
and stunning kinetic fire sculptures throughout our city.

Location: East Side Zone (1945 SE WATER AVE , Portland Oregon)
Date: February 7TH - 9TH, 2019
For more information:
https://www.pdxwlf.com/actias-luna
https://www.hackerarchitects.com
http://www.GuildWorks.com

GB&D ARTICLE FEATURES GUILDWORKS

1/9/2019

7 WAYS INNOVATIVE FABRIC ARCHITECTURE
CAN TRANSFORM YOUR SPACE

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 >>>

Guildworks - Mini Documentary VIDEO

11/30/2018

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 Featured In "Specialty Fabrics Review"

9/7/2018

DANCING SKY

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 >>>

Specialty Fabrics Review Article - Art aloft : dancing with the breeze.pdf
File Size:	414 kb
File Type:	pdf

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"Dancing Sky" Permanent Art installation Downtown Phoenix

3/5/2018

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.

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

Guildworks website launch contest!

1/17/2018

WEB SITE LAUNCH CONTEST

This contest ended.
Thank you all for stopping by to our brand new website! We've been hard at work on this for some time now and we're delighted to share it with you all. Please do take a moment to explore the new site and have a look at what the Guildworks crew has been up to. Another development at Guildworks we've been working on is a product line of custom made fabric mandalas.

Mandalas May Still be Available
If you are interested in more information about our mandalas, Contact Us >>>.

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Arizona Center $25 Million Renovation IS Complete

BUSINESS IMPACT NW FEATURES GUILDWORKS

ACTIAS LUNA : Feb 7-9 AT WINTER LIGHTS FESTIVAL PORTLAND

GB&D ARTICLE FEATURES GUILDWORKS

Guildworks - Mini Documentary VIDEO

GuildWorks Featured In "Specialty Fabrics Review"

"Dancing Sky" Permanent Art installation Downtown Phoenix

Guildworks website launch contest!

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