Architectural textiles will be employed extensively in the Beijing National
Stadium, the centrepiece of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games to be held in Beijing, China, according to the latest issue of Technical Textile Markets, published by Textiles Intelligence.

Approximately 40,000 m2 of single-ply ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (EFTE) sheeting will be employed to protect 40,000 tons of steel from weather damage. The steel will be used to construct a "bird's nest" structure in the stadium.

Furthermore, a 50,000 m2 shield of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)-coated glass fabric will be installed inside the stadium to ensure good acoustics.

Textiles have a number of advantages over conventional roofing materials, not least their flexibility in terms of shape, their lightweight properties and
the low cost of their manufacture.

Fabrics employed in most architectural textiles include woven polyester coated with polyvinyl chloride (PVC), although other synthetics and coatings can be used.

PTFE-coated glass fabric is employed for special properties and enhanced durability, while pneumatically pre-tensioned ETFE sheets offer a plethora of striking design possibilities.

The use of textiles in architecture first came to prominence at EXPO 67, held in Montreal, Canada, when Germany showcased its ground-breaking tent-shaped National Pavilion and established itself as a pioneer in this form of construction.

Almost 40 years later, the FIFA World Cup, held in Germany in June 2006, illustrated just how far this application of technical textiles has advanced. Many of the stadiums which hosted the World Cup matches are equipped with complex textile roofing and support structures.

Since the event in Germany, architects have announced that they will use architectural textiles in Beijing as preparations are made for the forthcoming Summer Olympic Games, which will be held in the city in 2008.

The design for the stadium in Beijing was conceived by Swiss architects Herzog & De Meuron. It is these designers who were responsible for one of the most innovative applications of architectural textiles thus far-at the new Allianz Stadium in Munich, Germany.

The Allianz Stadium is covered by an outer skin which consists of some 2,874 lozenge-shaped membranes made from ETFE

The stadium, which is home to Munich's two top division football clubs, employs EFTE sheeting in the covering to enable the entire stadium to change colour, depending on which of the two teams is playing there, in a similar way to a giant LED screen.

In fact, each of the 1,058 panels around the outside of the stadium can change colour and be made to either pulsate or glow, creating infinite cascading patterns.

The new roof of Berlin's Olympic Stadium is equally impressive. It consists
of two membrane systems each measuring 31,000 m2.

Examples of other textile buildings can be found extensively in Germany but
also throughout the world-in public buildings and auditoria, open air theatres, railway stations and airports, shopping centres, parks and landscaped spaces, entrances and walkway areas.

"Architectural Textiles: World Cup Showcase in 2006 and Beyond" was published
in Technical Textile Markets, Issue No 66. Other reports in the same issue include:
"Nanotextiles - Reality or Buzzword?"; "The World Nonwovens Industry: Part 1-The
Leading Ten Producers"; "Clothing at Work: Providing a Better Image"; "Global
Technical Textiles Business Update"; and "Statistics: Fibre Consumption for
Technical Textiles in Western Europe".

Technical Textile Markets is a quarterly publication from Textiles Intelligence Limited. It provides business and market analysis of worldwide trends in man-made fibres, nonwovens, technical textiles and industrial textiles manufacturing, trade and distribution. A printed copy of Issue No 66 costs Euro445 (Europe, Middle East or Africa), £265 (UK only) or US$585 (Americas or Asia Pacific) and is available from Textiles Intelligence, International Subscriptions, 10 Beech Lane, Wilmslow SK9 5ER, United Kingdom. Tel: +44 (0)1625 536136; Fax: +44 (0)1625 536137; Email: info@textilesintelligence.com