Why choose a fabric canopy
Technological development of materials
Rapid technological development in materials has vastly improved material performance. This has improved strength and flexibility and also improved life expectancy of the material. A well maintained fabric canopy can last for years. Our tensile fabric canopies have a live expectancy of 10 to 30+ years.
You can see in the materials section of our website that we offer a huge range of material choice. Each material will have specific benefits which gives flexibility to meet the requirements of any brief.
Shelter and shade solutions with a fabric canopy
We have a range of re-engineered and ready to install Signature Structures. These are customisable to your requirements and can meet any application. Our key markets are event and exhibition halls, hospitals, hotels, restaurants and bars, leisure centres, retail spaces, schools and universities and theme parks.
If your requirement cannot be met from one of our Signature Structures then no problem. We can design and build a Bespoke Structure to your specification and build something unique that will answer your brief.
Fabric canopy examples
Our website is packed with fabric canopy projects we have successfully delivered. Here are just a few to give you an idea of the different solutions that we can deliver.
Stanstead Airport
An £80m terminal redevelopment programme for Stanstead airport included a brief to develop a covering for some outdoor spaces. We were asked to design, engineer and install a series of tensile canopies for the airport’s meet & greet valet parking service.
The finished structure covered over 600sqm of car parking space, providing welcoming and practical shelter for customers dropping off their vehicles at the premium parking area.
The finished fabric canopy comprises a low-impact barrel canopy of white PVC fabric on a striking steel framework. The framework is galvanised and powder coated to meet the 25+ year life-expectancy specification.
University of Middlesex
Over £9 million was invested in refurbishing the UK’s number 1 cruise port, enabling the terminal to
As part of a remit to improve social spaces at Middlesex University, we were selected to supply tensile fabric structures as a shade and shelter canopy solution for the Hendon Campus in North West London.
The area where the fabric canopy is located is a fire escape route and assembly point, so we recommended an inherently flame-retardant woven glass fabric. Environmentally friendly and highly-translucent, the fabric suits the overall simplistic design.
Next Head Office
After commissioning a nursery for their staff, Next asked us to design a solution for the open air courtyard that the facility wraps around.
We selected a specialist fabric that is semi-translucent with a light transmission of 35%. On its upper surface a heat protective coating gives the fabric a beautiful pearlescent finish, which also helps prevent dirt from settling. This fabric solution comes with a standard 15 year standard warranty.
Chester Racecourse
As the oldest racecourse still in operation in the world, Chester Racecourse has a great history. Established in 1539, it’s an award winning racecourse and we were delighted to work with such a prestigious venue.
Our brief was to design, engineer and install two new entrance canopies ahead of the Boodles May Festival.
Chandlery Square
This is a really interesting hotel. The architect’s nautical theme for a “Shipping Container Hotel”, with views across the Bristol Channel to the Severn Bridge, included the creation of a pub and a 120-seat restaurant as well as the 45-room hotel.
This new bar and restaurant is made from 28 recycled shipping containers. In line with the industrial boatyard theme, the fabric canopy we designed was also a quirky design. We patterned one 25m long fabric canopy to sit half way up the 10m high masts, with aesthetic ‘rigging’ in the form of stainless steel cables running between them.
About Fabric Architecture
We are a dedicated and creative team of in-house experts. We have been delivering tensile fabric structures for 40 years. We pride ourselves on building strong relationships with architects, contractors and decision-makers based on honesty and experience.
We focus on excellence - creating tensile fabric structures that are innovative and of superior quality, and that benefit from the latest technologies and manufacturing techniques.
Working with Fabric Architecture
We transform original concepts into buildable, sustainable and memorable tensile fabric solutions. Supporting our clients through this creation journey, we use our significant knowledge of tensile fabrics and the engineering behind them to realise the full potential of every design.
Get in contact today if you want to find out more. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIN and Instagram
Maximise space with covered walkways
Our covered walkways can be designed to blend into the surroundings and existing style of the buildings. They can also bring architectural flare and a great design ethic that can enhance the aesthetic of a building while also offering a practical solution.
Practical and inspired design of covered walkways
Current choices in materials and technological developments in synthetic fabrics and associated topcoatings has allowed a rapid growth in the covered walkways market. Using flexible materials means flexible designs. Covered walkways can be both practical but also innovatively designed.
Rapid technological development in materials has vastly improved material performance. This has improved strength and flexibility and also improved life expectancy of the material. A well maintained fabric canopy can last for years. Our tensile fabric canopies have a live expectancy of 10 to 30+ years.
You can see in the materials section of our website that we offer a huge range of material choice. Each material will have specific benefits which gives flexibility to meet the requirements of any brief.
Three examples of covered walkways
Our website is packed with projects we have successfully delivered. Here are just a few of our covered walkways to give you some inspiration. Whatever your job, need or brief we can work with you to deliver the right solution
Canolfan Addysg y Bont
This co-educational day special school specialises in the care and education of students between the ages of 3 and 19 who are diagnosed as having severe learning difficulties.
As part of an £8.5m construction project, we were selected as the preferred supplier for fabric structure to provide covered walkways around the school’s high-traffic areas.
The design of the 34m long curved fabric structure walkway is unusual, with double canopies forming a “gull-wing” which provides as much cover as possible, while keeping the concrete foundations to a minimum. The 3m high clearance on the underside of the canopies allows school buses and cars to get close to the main entrance, providing their passengers with full wet-weather shelter.
Southampton City Cruise
Over £9 million was invested in refurbishing the UK’s number 1 cruise port, enabling the terminal to accommodate some of the largest cruise vessels afloat. Part of the refurbishment included a 320m2 curved fabric structure providing an all-weather walkway for travellers moving between terminal buildings.
The design for this bespoke six-peaked conic tensile fabric structure was complicated by a 46m curved walkway. Patterning the fabric for a structure to imitate the curve exactly was an engineering challenge and one that Fabric Architecture relished. The 40m x 8m curved fabric structure was installed as a single fabric unit requiring a unique triple crane lift to hoist it onto its bespoke steel framework.
To ensure the space is dry, the structure over sails and under sails connecting buildings and a fabric rain gutter was installed around the perimeter of the canopy. The result is functional and beautiful.
Bulwell Academy
The Bulwell Academy consists of a series of buildings interlinked with eight of the UK’s largest Inverse Conic tensile fabric structures. These structures cover a courtyard creating a ‘town square’ also used by the community. As part of the school’s sustainability strategy, the Inverse Conics are designed to harvest rainwater.
The challenge was to design a series of tensile fabric structures that would completely cover the school’s courtyard, allowing staff and students to move freely between buildings all under all-weather protection.
About Fabric Architecture
We are a dedicated and creative team of in-house experts. We have been delivering tensile fabric structures for 40 years. We pride ourselves on building strong relationships with architects, contractors and decision-makers based on honesty and experience.
We focus on excellence - creating tensile fabric structures that are innovative and of superior quality, and that benefit from the latest technologies and manufacturing techniques.
Working with Fabric Architecture
We transform original concepts into buildable, sustainable and memorable tensile fabric solutions. Supporting our clients through this creation journey, we use our significant knowledge of tensile fabrics and the engineering behind them to realise the full potential of every design.
Get in contact today if you want to find out more. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIN and Instagram