ETFE – Teflon’s Little Brother is Breathing New Life into Big Design
A name that’s difficult to say but hard to forget, at least among those within the build world who have worked on projects using the versatile material.
Published: November 04, 2016
This little-known plastic polymer, first created in the 1930s, ETFE film has suddenly become a build world staple – especially in projects like sporting venues, commercial outlets, educational buildings, resorts, transportation hubs, and other high visibility public arenas.
A peel back of this film quickly reveals why: at just 1% the weight of glass, ETFE seems tailor-made for almost any dramatic, translucent facade a designer can dream of. The material’s light weight also makes it a favorite among general contractors who can use significantly less steel and foundation materials for support. To date, there are nearly 60 significant structures in the world that feature ETFE, and plenty more on the horizon.
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Download PDF Version: ETFE _ BREAKGROUND.pdf
About Birdair: Birdair, Inc. is the leading specialty contractor of custom tensile structures throughout the world. In addition to pre-construction services such as design assistance, budgeting, construction methodologies and project scheduling, Birdair provides design-build solutions in all aspects of project design, engineering, installation and maintenance. The company offers a selection of architectural fabric membranes, including PTFE fiberglass, ETFE film, PVC and Tensotherm™. Birdair, based in Buffalo, NY, is a member of the Taiyo Kogyo Group, with operations serving North and South America and other international locations. For more information about Birdair, like us on Facebook, call 1-800-622-2246 or visit www.birdair.com.
