Over the years, buildings get outdated and dingy, and those that were built purely for functionality often start to look boring and old. This is especially true as the surrounding neighborhood gets revitalized, rebuilt, or developed for the first time. However, new advances in technologies are providing owners with options for reimagining their architectural building facade without the overwhelming cost of traditional exterior renovations.
The exterior walls of your building – its facade – can establish the structure’s individuality or it can make the building to sink into the proverbial sea of nondescript rectangular boxes. Tensile fabric facades empower architects and designers to step beyond the confines of the building’s original framework to create an architectural building facade that becomes iconic (while also incorporating significant functional benefits).
Here are just some of the ways tensile fabric facades can update the appearance of your building.
Form: Experimenting with the Shape of Your Building
The lines of your original building envelope don’t need to dictate the structure’s facade. Shorter buildings that now have much taller neighbors can extend the facade upward to make it blend in with the neighborhood. Panels of tensioned fabric can easily add depth, or geometric shapes can create contrast. Even if your structure was built with the shape of an institutional-style rectangle, a tensile fabric facade can update it with a modern and memorable design.
Aesthetics: Adding Art and Light
From printed graphics to LED up-lighting, making an iconic structure is easier than ever with tensile membrane facades. Just like with a blank canvas, the large expanses of tensioned fabric provide nearly endless opportunity for artistic expression. Graphic printing may be used as a branding opportunity or a way to incorporate the personality of the neighborhood – depending on the membrane materials you choose. Even if graphics aren’t a possibility, the structure’s daytime appearance can be transformed after the sun goes down with the help of well-planned lighting designs.
Color: Making It Vibrant, Integrated, or Brand-Specific
All around us, color brings life to our world. It can sooth, energize, and evoke memories. Whether you’re looking to make a bold statement or blend in with the natural landscape around you, tensile membrane facades can provide the options you need (depending on the fabric you choose). Similar to graphic printing, many choose to use the membrane as an opportunity to incorporate brand colors, ensuring customers connect your building with your products or services.
Movement: Empowering Daily Change
Who says your new look needs to stay the same every day? Adding remote controlled motorized panels to your building gives you the ability to custom-tailor its look each day or, at least, address the shifting needs of the building and its users, such as blocking sunlight at a certain time or providing better airflow.
Is a Tensile Membrane Right for Your Architectural Building Facade Project?
In the Tension Structures Division of Eide Industries, we specialize in design, engineering, manufacturing, and installation of structurally complex and creatively challenging commercial, government, and prototype design projects. Our expertise with tensile facade systems and tension structures supports architects, designers, general contractors, and building owners in their efforts to bring custom tensile membrane projects to life.
Explore the options for your next project by calling 800-422-6827.