ADVANTAGES / BENEFITS of FABRIC ARCHITECTURE Sustainability
Natural Light and Light Reflective
Reduce Heat
Design Aesthetics
Prefabricated Off-Site With Fast Install Time
Flexible Design & Adaptability
Low Maintenance
Excellent Durability
Removable, Transportable, Demountable
Lightweight Nature
Weatherproof
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OUR PROCESS
It is a turnkey process; from design thru specification, fabrication, and installation. From the initial concept to the final unveiling, the process for creating a tensile structure requires well-established expertise at every step along the way. The size, scale and complexity of a project can change the scope and time frame of this work. On the small scale, the fastest timelines for this entire process might be in the 4-5 month range while the standard is closer to a year and a half or more. When considering a fabric structure, we always recommend you start the design path sooner than later. In the early stages of development, certain choices can dramatically affect cost. Engaging GuildWorks as a consultant on your project will help guide the development process and can create time savings through the life of the project that in turn can help reduce costs and improve the quality of the final installed solution. Design The discovery phase of every project determines the success of your project. Our engineers and designers work closely with your team to identify the practical and aesthetic requirements of the job. Ideas flow both ways during this process, so that the tensile structure design receives the benefit of combined thinking power. It all starts with your idea, plan or concept. Our designers collaboratively help you channel your imagination and our discovery phase determines the success of the shared vision. The images here represent a few basic form types that balance shape, support and pre-tension.
Specification
As design advances, the specification and engineering phase of a project develops many specifics of loadings and support structure. GuildWorks always looks for deep understanding in this phase of what it takes to actually build a project using tools of CFD, FEA, and tension-structure analysis. Fabrication
Creating high-quality and durable tensile fabric structures is our top priority. We use CNC cutting machines for perfect accuracy and efficiency. Permanent Fabric Architecture use advanced cloths and coatings that can have lifespans of 1-5+ decades. Using such a wide range of fabrics it is necessary to adopt a variety of manufacturing methods to cut and join tensile fabrics, from advanced sail-making techniques to more industrial large scale manufacturing processes. In general, we use 3 main methods to join architectural fabrics: Welding / Sewing / Gluing. Installation
Knowledge of the structure, tension fabric handling, and erection process is critical at this phase. As a design-build specialty contractor we employ an elite team that is certified to construct the most elaborate tensile fabric structures. |
Maintenance
A great advantage of fabric is the low maintenance cost; as with everything, maintenance is important. GuildWorks is careful to set up a maintenance plan and be there to re-tension and clean the structures so that we can be sure of reaching the best lifespan. At the end of a fabric lifespan, texyloop recycling is an option as replacement of fabric is always a fraction of the initial project cost. |