Textile Architecture

An enormous, electronically operated umbrella stretches across a courtyard, flexible panels replace solid walls, an air-filled bubble is turned into a performance hall: this volume presents promising projects that envision a future when textiles are widely and innovatively employed as architectural elements. Though they are frequently reduced to a decorative afterthought in contemporary interior design, textiles are extremely versatile, with a range of tactile qualities and surprising strength, which gives them tremendous architectural potential, ranging from simple solutions to high-tech applications. Presenting projects by prominent architects such as Rem Koolhaas, Herzog & de Meuron, Kengo Kuma and Graft Architects, this richly illustrated edition--which serves as a resource book as well as a source of inspiration--provides an overview of the wide ranging possibilities for the application of textiles in building design.