Tension Fabric Structures | Beautifully Designed for Purpose

Fabric Structures – A Turn Key Solution

Fabric Architecture offers a complete turn-key solution to tensile structures. From initial sketches through to installation, all stages can be planned and executed to budget. In-house design, engineering, project management and installation teams provide a wealth of experience and skills. Every detail is considered in the creation of a unique tension fabric structure.

Beauty Belies Complexity

Tensile structures are becoming much more visible in large public spaces. Soaring panels of lightweight material twisted into fantastic geometric forms above our heads in airports, sports arenas and commercial buildings are now a common sight across the globe.

However, the beauty of these structures and their seamless integration in to existing environments is deceptive. Many of these designs are extremely complex, as are the engineering principles that go into their construction.

In the first instance, we need to:

understand the loads exerted by the fabric itself (known as pre-stress or pre-tension)
quantify the live loads that the structure will be exposed to (wind and snow)

These loads enable us to make some important calculations. We determine the type of fabric required, the size of structural support system required and the foundations that the structure will be anchored to.

Designed for Purpose. Independent Audit.

We design our tensile structures for their specific location and to international building codes. In the preliminary stages we consider everything, from the anticipated wind to the potential snow loads imparted on the structure.

This enables us to establish the size of foundations, steelwork and the most suitable fabric for the application.

All Fabric Architecture’s tensile structures are fully engineered and verified by our in-house structural engineers to ensure their design integrity and lifespan.

Designers, Architects and Specifiers

Are you a designer, architect or specifier looking for ideas? Visit our dedicated Tensile Resource Centre for the latest concepts and tensile forms. You can access a wide variety of CAD drawings.

Signature Structures

Signature Structures are a range of specially selected Tensile Fabric Canopies popular for their shade, shape, application, ease of installation and lifespan. These striking and economical products are the ones most popular with you, our customers.

View Structures

Choosing Fabrics: Match your Budget - Match Your Needs

There are three basic external fabric types most commonly used in tension fabric structures

PVC coated polyester (polyvinylchloride)
Solar Glass Weave (silicone coated glass)
Teflon coated glass P.T.F.E. (polytetrafluroethylene)

Polyester and glass are the woven element, or substrate. PVC, Silicon and Teflon are coatings applied to this substrate.

PVC coated polyester is the least expensive and has a design life of 15 to 20 years due mainly to ultra violet attack. It is low cost and has the advantage of being very robust, is easier to ship and install and can be demountable. It also comes in many colours.

Silicone coated glass has a much higher tensile strength than polyester; however being made of glass, it is brittle. To overcome this, the fibres are made to a very small diameter but are still subject to damage from repeated flexing. The advantage of glass is that it is not vulnerable to ultra violet attack, which gives it a longer life than polyester - over 30 years.

Both Silicon and Teflon are almost completely chemically inert, resistant to moisture and micro-organisms and have good self cleaning properties. Silicon glass is less expensive than Teflon glass, however Teflon has better "self cleaning" properties.

Transporting Teflon Coated Glass

Teflon coated glass fibre is difficult to handle and transport in large pieces. When sharply folded, the Teflon coating visibly "bruises".

Locally Based Manufacturers

Our in-house design team will produce all the necessary fabrication drawings for the support structure and generate the pattern for the fabric canopy. Most of the specialist manufacturers we use are based locally. This allows for complete quality control throughout the fabrication process.

Hundreds of Successful Installations

Highly skilled crews take full control of the planning and installation of our structures. Fabric Architecture is vastly experienced, having installed thousands of structures in many diverse settings.

We work with clients in many sectors, all with different levels of knowledge - from Head Teachers and Parents to large Contractors and corporate clients. We understand you all have different information needs and we take great care to ensure that we communicate with you in the right way.

Locally Based Manufacturers

Hassle-Free Shipment & Installation

Our wealth of experience working in technically demanding environments ensures that turn-key tension fabric structure projects run smoothly and efficiently.

Project management, embracing the coordination of subcontractors, suppliers and plant equipment is handled by a dedicated team. Once you appoint Fabric Architecture you can relax in the knowledge that you are in the hands of seasoned professionals.

All fabric structure installation crews are fully trained in current health and safety practices. They are experienced in modern-day site conditions, inductions and toolbox talks and are used to working with other contractors or trades.

Regular Checks Ensure Optimal Performance

The following minimum maintenance regime is recommended:
•   A wash with warm soapy water (mild liquid detergent i.e. soap flakes). Once or twice a year is all that is necessary.
•   avoid abrasive cloths or brushes and mild detergents, definitely no bleach or solvents! Treat our structures as you’d treat your car.
•   Using a pressure washer is fine at a distance. However, be cautious as the water jet can damage and even tear the fabric.

We would always recommend that you have a professional company maintain your structure. Not only will the fabric be cleaner, the company will also check over fixings and rigging hardware. As with any piece of equipment that contains moving/working parts it is essential to carry out regular checks to ensure optimum performance and longevity.

Specific maintenance prices are based on the location of structure and frequency of the service. To get the maximum life from the fabric, clean every six months as above.