​APPLICATIONS OF MEMBRANE STRUCTURES

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​Plazas, Courtyards, Building Entries & Enclosing Between Buildings

​​Civic, Park, & Open-Air Structures

​​ETFE Structures
​​(an alternative to Glass)

​​Pavilions and Amphitheaters

Fabric Facades on Buildings

Interior Spaces

Public Art

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​ADVANTAGES / BENEFITS of FABRIC ARCHITECTURE

Sustainability

• uses fewer materials per coverage and has a lower carbon footprint than many other forms of building; offers advantages and points for LEED Certification and meets other sustainability guidelines

Natural Light and Light Reflective

• ability to light a space with soft natural light is a huge benefit of fabric architecture
• fabric membranes reduce the interior lighting costs & at night, artificial lighting creates an ambient exterior luminescence.

Reduce Heat

• substantial shade can reduce the heat island effect for a building

Design Aesthetics

• fabric architecture is remembered by sweeping beautiful forms that are generated by natural principles which guide the design

Prefabricated Off-Site With Fast Install Time

• an economical and practical choice in today's building environment

Flexible Design & Adaptability

• there are many design possibilities; fabric architecture can adapt and work with all traditional building forms and materials

Low Maintenance

• require a low level of maintenance compared to traditional building methods

Excellent Durability

• fabric architecture is durable and can be designed to withstand any specified loads

Removable, Transportable, Demountable

• can be easily moved and reinstalled on any site which gives ultimate flexibility in the building enclosure

Lightweight Nature

• the lightweight nature of the membrane is a cost effective solution that requires less structural steel to support the roof compared to conventional building materials, enabling long spans of column-free space

Weatherproof

• no matter what the need for the enclosure, there is a membrane technology that can provide the needed protection, from solar to wind and air movement, and insulation values to meet code requirements

​​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.

Hypar

Cone

Inverted Cone

Arch

Dual Conic

Inflatable

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.