Tensile Fabric Architecture – Why choose a tensile fabric canopy?
Tensile fabric is one of the oldest materials humans have used for shade shelter; it remains an important material with diverse applications in design and
construction even today.
For decades the choice of awning and canopy fabric was limited to cotton canvas. While cotton offers a great look and feel, it has performance limitations outdoors. Although traditional cotton duck, or canvas, is still used occasionally, especially when customers desire a traditional look,
synthetic fabrics now dominate the market for residential and commercial awnings and canopies.
Thanks to technological breakthroughs in synthetic fabrics and in specialist top coatings to protect those fabrics, progress continued with increasing acceleration. During the 1980s, it was not uncommon to answer the question of awning fabric performance with a question mark, or at least a disclaimer. Warranties, guarantees, colorfastness, ultraviolet stability and even tensile strength were in their infancy then.
Most tensile structures use high performance fabrics rather than meshes or films. The fabrics typically are coated and laminated with synthetic materials for greater strength and/or environmental resistance. Among the most widely used materials are polyester laminated or coated with polyvinyl chloride (PVC), woven fiberglass coated with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or silicone.
These days tensile fabric is the material of choice for architects and designers all over the world because of the low cost, versatility and durability. You can find examples of fabric architecture in several countries including Germany, Australia, United Arab Emirates and even right here at home in the UK at the O2 Arena in London and widely used at the 2012 Olympics, just to name a few.
Some of the many benefits include...
Chemical resistance
Heat resistance
Stain resistance
Ultraviolet stabilization
Mildew resistance
Waterproofing
Shading properties
Design versatility
At Inside2Outside we manufacture our school canopies using fabrics chosen for their superior strength, flexibility, translucency and an impressive design life of 25 years. UV resistant, chemically inert, easy to maintain and versatile; tensile membranes are ideal for long-term use in demanding environments and create a real statement whilst providing very efficient cover.
www.inside2outside.co.uk
01480 498297