Lightweight Structures Group

The new entry for this facility is a grid shell clad in ETFE foil pillows. Using linear foil pillows along the grid lines allowed for a highly efficient solution offering rain and snow protection and unique lighting.

The largest mall in southeast Mexico has a roof comprised of about 135,000 square feet of translucent ETFE cushions that create a conditioned and light-filled retail environment.

Insulated ETFE pillow roof and operable ETFE sidewalls along the outdoor terraces of this mixed-use complex create mid-door space that can be enclosed during inclement or cold weather.

A fritted ETFE outdoor canopy is attached to a lightweight bronze frame, creating a transparent canopy to welcome and provide shelter to building tenants.

A series of vertical mesh shade panels descend from a glass curtain wall on this building's northeast facade, blocking direct morning sunlight from the reading rooms. Recipient of the AIA 25 Year Award.

A series of south facing brise-soleils cover over 5,000 linear feet of facade. These shade elements are twisted to create hyperbolic parabolic shapes that resist wind loading and reduce solar heat gain.

Tensegrity trusses allow the shade element of this large tensile fabric structure to hug the surrounding buildings without connecting to them. The structure serves as the center of ASU's Scottsdale campus.

This new intermodal transit hub joins the Detroit People Mover to nine bus routes. It includes a roof canopy covering a drop off and outdoor waiting area. The roof also acts as a giant water collector, furnishing cisterns for irrigation.

As the LV flagship store is located at the Equator, the facade system provides necessary shade while allowing filtered daylight to enter. The 25,000-square-foot shading system uses one fabric type for the walls and another for the multifaceted ceiling, providing different translucencies as required.

A series of soaring shaped fabric diffusers developed through a collaboration with the project architects provide diffuse natural light as an architectural solution for the terminal's large interior spaces.

Replacing the original aviary after 100 years, this newly enlarged building resists snow and wind loads despite being visually and environmentally transparent. The stainless-steel net is supported by parabolic steel arches that form a diagonal pattern in plan.

This new structure covers a rooftop turf field at an independent K-12 school, allowing students to play sports in an urban setting. The truss-supported net above the field reaches over 31 feet at its highest point.

The design team developed the form of a natural structure emerging from the land as two stone walls which come together at the insertion of a stage. The cable net supports a wood-clad acoustic roof, the first of its kind in North America.

This seasonal stainless steel structure will feature demountable PVC mesh panels. During the summer, it will provide shade for visitors.

This portable event and exhibit installation was a 10-story inflatable spherical structure held down by a steel tetrahedral ring with water ballast. Developed to highlight a new Dyson project, the structure was designed to be moved to multiple sites.

An inflatable arch structure system for vehicle maintenance utilized tensile membranes to provide lateral stability, creating a building without metal components that would be imperceptible on radar.

This 30,000-square-foot complex was comprised of three relocatable buildings at the heart of the Olympic Centennial Park. The facility incorporated two-story glass curtain walls, interior elevators, and a connector bridge. The structure's fabric allowed images from live Olympic events to be projected onto the exterior.

The "Machine Tent" was part of a larger traveling exhibition developed to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company. Our experts designed a 20,000-square-foot custom designed facility that served as the anchor to various standard rental tents housing other exhibits.