Textile facade technology and special constructions

Since our foundation in 1990, we have established ourselves as the worldwide contact for hotels, gastronomy, public institutions and also private individuals with our high-quality sunshade solutions. Our in-house developed materials, collaboration with architects and designers and our own production sites are the basis for our individual, durable and weatherproof shade solutions.

We have perfected the "shade" concept, developed it further and also implemented our knowledge in large-scale projects that literally put all previous weather protection solutions in the shade. Facade technology, lightweight architecture and parametric design are now part of our everyday business, so we realize not only classic PTFE sunshades, but also unique, textile constructions.

Parametric design enables us to develop customized special constructions, which act equally as weather protection and their own artistic eye-catcher at events, trade fairs or exhibitions.

Your partner from planning to construction

At MDT-tex you get textile architecture and lightweight structures from a single source. We accompany you from the initial planning phase, through design and extensive testing on the model, to delivery and the final assembly of the special structures. By manufacturing in our own factories and working directly with designers and architects, we can ensure short turnaround times and respond promptly to requests and queries throughout the duration of the project.

As a medium-sized company with locations, for example, in Tägerwilen in Switzerland or Hardheim in Baden-Württemberg, we attach great importance to producing anything but mass-produced goods. Only through uncompromising quality and customized solutions for companies as well as for public institutions and private individuals have we been able to establish ourselves and hold our own on the international market all these decades.

Own production facilities and storage areas with over 20,000 m² offer us the possibility to permanently ensure this quality and also to be able to react quickly and flexibly to all customer requirements.

With our many years of experience and expertise in the field of textile kinematics, we also regularly build high-quality sunshades in huge dimensions of up to 30 m in diameter and use this wealth of experience for textile facades and textile facade modules. The lightweight structures can be used to create both high-quality sunshade solutions for outdoor use and outstanding design elements for indoor and outdoor use.

Two outstanding examples of our textile architectural solutions

A prime example of our work is the Prototype II Cirrus System that we developed together with UNStudio for the Techtextil exhibition under the motto "Living in Space". The modular design combined with our own MDT-tex membrane, lightweight aluminum profiles and robust stainless steel elements ultimately resulted in a futuristic, unique overall structure that became a walkable part of the exhibition for Techtextil's visitors.

As our Cirrus system exemplifies, Textile Facades can also be used as pavilions and lounges inside to create unique spatial worlds at exhibitions or trade fairs, for example. Such textile façade modules are individually expandable due to their special structure.

Lightweight architecture, parametric facades and large sunshade solutions are therefore ideal for providing permanent shade in public places, exhibitions or even parking lots, while at the same time incorporating the surrounding architecture. In this way, weather protection is not perceived as a separate installation, but rather as part of the overall effect of a building or facility, contributing to an inviting ambience.

Another prime example is the Eye_Beacon, which was used as a light-filled ticket and information booth at an Amsterdam light festival. The mix of rigid and organic shapes gave the Eye_Beacon the appearance of a twisted cube that shone in numerous colors. This eye-catcher was itself part of the overall work of art, and at the same time it served pragmatically as a protected pavilion.

For this installation, MDT-tex finally received the Red Dot Design Award 2017 in the field of urban design, as well as the Architizer A+ Award 2017. In our decades of work, we have always been pleased to receive such and similar awards, such as:

  • Red Dot Design Award 2016, 2017 and 2018
  • .
  • Iconic Awards, Architecture Winner 2016 and 2017
  • Architizer A+ Award 2016 and 2017
  • A'Design Award & Competition 2017
  • AJ100 Award 2017 in the category "Best Collaboration between Architecture and Industry
  • Materialica Design Award 2018
  • ...and several more

The numerous awards prove that MDT-tex not only enjoys international recognition as a manufacturer of down-to-earth, durable and wind-resistant sunshades, but also keeps an eye on the artistic design aspect. After all, pragmatic, functional products such as sunshades or textile facades are also allowed to develop their own visual appeal and thus ultimately achieve more than just providing shade.

Our material development for your PTFE facade

Just like our PTFE sunshades, the PTFE façade also only receives materials that we trust without reservation and of whose durability and outstanding performance we have convinced ourselves. Therefore, we use our self-developed MDT-Tex membranes in different thicknesses for textile constructions. This allows us to select exactly the perfectly suitable material with its own matching properties for every façade technology and every project.

After all, depending on the size, scope and place of use, textile constructions have different requirements in terms of tensile strength, buckling ability, weight and color design options. We are your specialist for lightweight architecture, parametric facades and custom PTFE sunshades from 5 m to 30 m in diameter, drawing on decades of experience since our founding in 1990.

We use our know-how in the field of membranes and textile constructions to implement textile architecture in an artistic, modern and almost weightless way. This allows you to equip your outdoor area permanently or for temporary events with vertical and horizontal shading solutions that blend seamlessly into the surrounding architecture like a work of art in its own right.

MDT-tex accompanies you in this process from the initial design to the finished structure and, with its own materials, its own production sites and its elaborate model tests, ensures that you receive customized textile façades with uncompromising quality.