A huge, electronically operated umbrella spans an inner courtyard, flexible lengths of cloth replace solid walls, a bubble filled with air becomes an events venue—textiles are among those materials with the most promising future in architecture. Although often reduced to pure decoration in everyday life, their tremendous convertibility and highly sensual quality lend them immense architectonic potential, ranging from simple everyday solutions to high-tech applications. On the basis of numerous projects by well-known architects such as Rem Koolhaas, Herzog&de Meuron, Kengo Kuma and GRAFT, this publication provides a lavishly illustrated survey of textile architecture and its diversity. It is a unique compendium, which not only highlights historical developments, but also offers a wealth of inspiration for the use of textiles in architecture.
