‘Deployable Roof’ bags 1st prize at Techtextil

At the techtextil Frankfurt, eight international projects have been selected to receive awards in the ‘Textile Structures for New Building’ competition. Whether textile reinforced concrete, fabric for lightweight structures or functional textiles, Techtextil  introduced architects, building owners, construction engineers and planners to a wide range of fibre-based materials for the ‘Buildtech’ sector.

With the support of the international TensiNet association, Techtextil honoured students and young professionals from the fields of architecture, civil engineering and product design with the award.  â€œThe award-winning projects were selected by the jury for their inspiration and new architectural perspectives. The spectrum ranges from visually appealing air-inflated halls and improved tent dwellings for refugee camps, via flexible, lightweight exterior shells and textile interior-furnishing systems, to smart façade elements and woven structures made of concrete”, explains Michael Jänecke, Brand Manager Technical Textiles and Textile Processing at Messe Frankfurt. “The projects illustrate the variety of applications for textile structures in architecture and building.”

First prize in the macro-architecture category went to Katrin Fleischer of the Technical University of Munich for her ‘Deployable Roof’, a mobile canopy consisting of a folding support grid in the form of a barrel vault and an integrated membrane covering held under tension by bending-active slats. Second prize went to Margarita Fernández Colombás, Miguel Ángel Maure Blesa, Raquel Ocón Ruiz and Hugo Cifre of the European University of Madrid for their ‘Espacio de la Nube’. Third prize in this category went for Ahmad Nouraldeen of the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences for his design of a tent dwelling for refugee camps. In terms of form and function, the tent is reminiscent of the wigwams of American Indians. However, it also integrates renewable energies and improved the quality of life of the inhabitants through the inclusion of thermal insulation and ventilation.