The Use of Textile-Based Materials in Shell System Design in Architecture and an Evaluation

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A B S T R A C T The textile that has emerged from dressing and protection need of people against the variable weather conditions since the primeval ages, has gained performance characteristics with the rise of artificial fibers apart from natural fiber production and with increasing technology, and has gained a good position in architectural applications. The application areas of the textile, that was traditionally used as gear, as indoor element, and as upholstery on furniture, have been varied by emerge of smart and technical textile and its use in construction sector and architecture has been actualized. The main textile based materials used on building and skin systems are Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and Ethylene Tetra Fluoro Ethylene (ETFE). Tent, pneumatic building, canopy, pleated roof, umbrella, parasol, outer curtain, shear wall and façade are structural use forms of textile materials. While the interactions between textile and architecture actualized in visual sense, structure and for, technology, and aesthetic sense, the use of textile with its sustainability in architecture also brings advantages. In the paper Eden Project, Water cube, and Alliance Arena where textile based materials are used are studied. It is seen that the textile material, which is easily applied at long-spans and at forms which cannot be handled with traditional materials, became prominent with its recycling and sustainable features.

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The Use of Textile-Based Materials in Shell System Design in Architecture and an Evaluation in Terms of Sustainability * Dr. TUGBA ALIOGLU 1, Dr. AYSE SIREL 2 1 , 2 Istanbul Aydın University, Faculty of Architecture and Design, Istanbul, Turkey E mail: tubaali123@hotmail.com , E mail: aysesirel@aydin.edu.tr A B S T R A C T The textile that has emerged from dressing and protection need of people against the variable weather conditions since the primeval ages, has gained performance characteristics with the rise of artificial fibers apart from natural fiber production and with increasing technology, and has gained a good position in architectural applications. The application areas of the textile, that was traditionally used as gear, as indoor element, and as upholstery on furniture, have been varied by emerge of smart and technical textile and its use in construction sector and architecture has been actualized. The main textile based materials used on building and skin systems are Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and Ethylene Tetra Fluoro Ethylene (ETFE). Tent, pneumatic building, canopy, pleated roof, umbrella, parasol, outer curtain, shear wall and façade are structural use forms of textile materials. While the interactions between textile and architecture actualized in visual sense, structure and for, technology, and aesthetic sense, the use of textile with its sustainability in architecture also brings advantages. In the paper Eden Project, Water cube, and Alliance Arena where textile based materials are used are studied. It is seen that the textile material, which is easily applied at long-spans and at forms which cannot be handled with traditional materials, became prominent with its recycling and sustainable features. CONTEMPORARY URBAN AFFAIRS (2018), 2(3), 88-94. https://doi.org/10.25034/ijcua.2018.4722 www.ijcua.com Copyright © 2018 Contemporary Urban Affairs. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction We are facing with various statistics about the seriousness of adverse contribution of construction sector to the environment, CO2 emissions, and depletion of energy sources. It is known that building construction uses %40 of natural sources, %12 of drinkable water, and %70 of electricity and also causes between %45-%65 of tailing (Yudelson, 2008). Therefore, the designers increasingly obey ecological designing principals for the purpose of creating a structured environment more compatible with the natural environment. Concordantly, the manufacturing materials are evaluated by continuously being improved and re-designed to be more sustainable. The textile material, one of these materials, is playing an important role in sustainable architecture, and is potently used in architecture with its features of manufacturing and transportation facileness, need of less supplies, and less energy source. Textile based materials are used in architecture with their potential to decrease artificial energy requests, to alleviate cooling loads, and solar energy gain. With this usage in architecture, obtaining low energy costs in buildings is provided. For example membranes, which are a textile product are designed as to be easily disassembled and assembled via their flexible structure, are reducing waste amount by recycling after construction. Textile based materials also became prominent with aesthetic contributions to modern architecture along with their countless efficacies at saving natural sources and transferring them to posterities. These materials which are work of advancing technology provide an easiness to convert the structure to an intended form, inspire to exciting new forms with their texture, color, and shape, and add brand value to the structure. 2. Improvement of Textile Use from Past to Present Textile material has emerged since the existence of human being by the need of protection against heat, cold, and climatic weather conditions. Traditional textile materials used for dressing and protection at the beginning have started to be used for aesthetic and visual quality purposes in the following periods. Developing technology by the invention of synthetic fiber has emerged a different type of textile. Technical and functional features have taken precedence over aesthetic and decorative features. This category has been accepted as a follow up of traditional textile industry as a separate field of industry and started to be used in architecture (Arslan, 2009). 3. Use of Textile in Architecture at Structure and Skin System 3.1 Material Characteristics of Textile Used in Architecture There two basic materials used in skin system. They are classified as coated and uncoated. Uncoated ones have thin fiber and woven into the raw material at the places where coating will be applied. Coated materials; glass fiber coated PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene), polyester coated PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride), and ETFE (Ethylene Tetra Fluoro Ethylene) are the most widely used ones among the membrane materials. Coated materials make %90 of all membrane materials used in modern architectural projects (Drew, 2008). 3.1.1 PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) coated polyester PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) and its derivations PVDF (Polyvinylidene fluoride), Teflon coated Fiberglass and silicon coated fiberglass are located in among the types of membranes that measured up themselves by their price and performance, and mostly used in construction sector (Pecina, 2012). Working life of PVC coating material is more than 25 years. Coating material is durable and have self-cleaning features. It is cheap and can be find in different colors. Polyester materials coated with PVC and PVDF are the most common waterproof materials. They can be used as weather protection at outdoor areas. Providing a good light transmission, they allow diffused natural light to fill the area to eliminate the need of artificial lighting. They have a good resistance and have a transparency between zero to twenty-five percent (Krüger, 2009). These types of textiles are successfully used for residual-permanent structures with its elastic cracking resistance. Coated textiles practically never necessitate any maintenance. By virtue of being recyclable, they also ensure to reduce the environmental damages. PVC coated polyester textile materials are very sufficient for demounted (removable and attachable again) structures with their foldable, movable, and storable features (Drew, 2008). 3.1.2 PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) coated fiberglass Glass fiber coated PTFE which is accepted as one of the membrane materials with its durability feature is the most recommended material for residual projects. It is expensive comparing to others. The material that has a good light transmission provides perfect long term protection and resistance against pollution with mechanical resistance of glass fibers (Beccarelli, 2015). At extreme climate conditions, it is a long term building material convenient to buildings necessitating long span. It is less affected from environmental conditions and ultraviolet lights. With its fire-resistance feature and over 30 years proved working life, PTFE membrane material has a good durability. It’s not molded and paled under the atmospheric impacts. It doesn’t hold rain water on it via its self-cleaning features. Because of its rain impermeability feature, it can be used as a weather protection for long spans and big scale modules. It is a textile material that has been advantageous with its textile material protection, resistance against chemicals, super incombustibility, ultraviolet light resistance and light reflection features. It has a very high UV resistance (Krüger, 2009).

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