New uses for a protean building material Textile architecture has been captivating humanity for many centuries. In recent years and decades, the emergence of innovative materials has created new opportunities to utilize this fascinating material in the fields of architecture, interior design, and design. Textiles derive their fascination from the special forms these fabric structures make possible and from their unusual character as soft materials. Together with their functional and structural properties, they possess a range of capabilities equally suitable for spectacular and everyday building tasks. This book deals with technical textiles in three sections: in the fi rst chapter, the material is introduced together with its specific properties; the second chapter deals with its uses in the areas of architecture, textile facades, solar protection, and interior design, with special attention to finishing techniques and construction principles. The third chapter illustrates the various fields of application with a selection of some twenty-four international built projects.