Membrane Construction and Textile Architecture

Tensile Architecture on the highest level

As experts in high-quality and professional parasols, we have perfected the classic parasol model in terms of stability, durability and design, creating an extensive range for both commercial and private use. Our know-how and hard-wearing materials have also inspired us to think outside the box and design innovative, parametric sunshade solutions.

Since we founded MDT-tex in 1990, we have relied on our proprietary PTFE membranes, with their outstanding weather resistance, colour fastness and durability, for textile architecture. Vertical and horizontal shading solutions, such as those used in marketplaces, at events or on exhibition grounds, require uncompromising quality.

With our self-developed PTFE membranes and with our in-house production at various international locations, we can ensure this quality on an ongoing basis and deliver the high-quality, customised membrane architecture for your hotel, for your restaurant, for the marketplace or for the special corporate event.

From design to construction by your side

MDT-tex is not only responsible for parametric sun protection solutions in theory, but accompanies you from the first ideas to the final construction on site. This means that you don't have to constantly switch between different contacts for vertical and horizontal shading solutions, we can react promptly to change requests or queries and also still permanently ensure our quality standards.

MDT-tex is not only responsible in theory for parametric sun shading solutions, but also accompanies you from the initial ideas to the final installation on site.

MDT-tex is a medium-sized company with headquarters and production plants in:

  • Tägerwilen in Switzerland
  • Hardheim in Baden-Württemberg
  • Tyrone in Georgia, USA
  • Riga in Latvia
  • Fremantle in Australia
  • Sveta Marija in Croatia

.

At these production facilities and warehouse areas with over 20,000 m² of space, we manufacture customised membrane constructions for companies, public institutions and private individuals.

Parametric solar shading solutions enable us to realise even large-scale shading concepts in lightweight construction, which can be adapted modularly and implemented in different designs. Numerous and repeated awards such as the Red Dot Design Award, the Architizer A+ Award or the Iconic Awards (Architecture Winner) show that, even with maximum functionality, we always succeed in realising outstanding, eye-catching and innovative design concepts with our membrane constructions if desired.

As experts in high-quality and professional parasols, we have perfected the classic parasol model in terms of stability, durability and design, creating an extensive range for both commercial and private use. Our know-how and hard-wearing materials have also inspired us to think outside the box and design innovative, parametric sunshade solutions.

Since we founded MDT-tex in 1990, we have relied on our proprietary PTFE membranes, with their outstanding weather resistance, colour fastness and durability, for textile architecture. Vertical and horizontal shading solutions, such as those used in marketplaces, at events or on exhibition grounds, require uncompromising quality.

With our self-developed PTFE membranes and with our in-house production at various international locations, we can ensure this quality on an ongoing basis and deliver the high-quality, customised membrane architecture for your hotel, for your restaurant, for the marketplace or for the special corporate event.

From design to construction by your side

MDT-tex is not only responsible for parametric sun protection solutions in theory, but accompanies you from the first ideas to the final construction on site. This means that you don't have to constantly switch between different contacts for vertical and horizontal shading solutions, we can react promptly to change requests or queries and also still permanently ensure our quality standards.

MDT-tex is not only responsible in theory for parametric sun shading solutions, but also accompanies you from the initial ideas to the final installation on site.

MDT-tex is a medium-sized company with headquarters and production plants in:

  • Tägerwilen in Switzerland
  • Hardheim in Baden-Württemberg
  • Tyrone in Georgia, USA
  • Riga in Latvia
  • Fremantle in Australia
  • Sveta Marija in Croatia

.

At these production facilities and warehouse areas with over 20,000 m² of space, we manufacture customised membrane constructions for companies, public institutions and private individuals.

Parametric solar shading solutions enable us to realise even large-scale shading concepts in lightweight construction, which can be adapted modularly and implemented in different designs. Numerous and repeated awards such as the Red Dot Design Award, the Architizer A+ Award or the Iconic Awards (Architecture Winner) show that, even with maximum functionality, we always succeed in realising outstanding, eye-catching and innovative design concepts with our membrane constructions if desired.

Membrane Architecture - Two Practical Examples

The fact that membrane construction is not only suitable for outdoor use is demonstrated by our Cirrus Prototype II system, which was used in Frankfurt for the Techtextil exhibition with the motto "Living in Space". We developed the pavilion in modular construction together with UNStudio and used our own MDT-tex membranes, lightweight aluminium support profiles and reinforced connectors made of robust stainless steel elements. The result was a unique, futuristic eye-catcher that brought the motto "Living in Space" to life for visitors as a walk-in part of the exhibition.

Textile façades such as our Cirrus system show what individual and modularly expandable constructions are possible and how they can also be used indoors, for example to divide large halls into several separate worlds of space.

What our architectural solutions for special roofing can look like is also demonstrated by the award-winning Eye_Beacon, which has served equally as a functional and practical space and as an innovatively designed part of an exhibition. For example, the light-flooded room served as a ticket and information stand at an Amsterdam Light Festival and itself became part of the exhibition with its striking form and changing colour play of the lighting.

These two examples show in a very special way that we do not necessarily have to place our membrane construction and our architectural solutions for special roofing in front of a building as a separate unit. If desired, we can design our sun protection systems in such a way that they are perceived as part of the architecture of a building or the landscape architecture and merge into a harmonious, large whole with the surroundings.

The two prime examples have earned us the above-mentioned awards, and we have been delighted to receive such and similar accolades time and again over the course of our decades of work. These include, among others:

  • Red Dot Design Award (2016, 2017, 2018)
  • Materialica Design Award (2018)
  • AJ100 Award "Best Collaboration between Architecture and Industry" (2017)
  • A'Design Award & Competition (2017)
  • Iconic Awards, Architecture Winner (2016, 2017)
  • Architizer A+ Award (2016, 2017)

These awards prove that MDT-tex as a membrane architect can implement both the pragmatic sunshades and canopies as well as special eye-catchers and artistic designs.

PTFE membranes from our own production

While we like to include the creative input and know-how of external design agencies in the artistic process, we prefer to rely on our own manufactured membranes for the final production. We have developed and extensively tested these in various material compositions and in different strengths in order to be able to offer exactly the right textile basis for your projects.

A marketplace in the sheltered city, after all, challenges the membranes of sun protection solutions differently than the exposed terrace of the mountain hotel. A sunshade for the garden has to meet different requirements than the permanent roofing of a company's outdoor facility. That's why we developed our MDT-tex membranes in such a way that, in addition to various colour design options, they are also optimised for the respective place of use in terms of their tear and buckling properties, their weight, their water column or their self-cleaning power.

We have been constantly developing and perfecting our know-how and craftsmanship in the field of textile constructions and textile façades since 1990 and have meanwhile demonstrated it at a wide variety of locations worldwide. In addition to the artistic projects mentioned above and numerous sun protection solutions for restaurants, hotels and companies, you can also see our textile architecture live in public places in New York, Los Angeles, Dublin, Åbenrå, Avenches, Heidelberg or Munich.

MDT-tex is, after all, your membrane architect from the initial design to on-site construction and has been delivering uncompromising quality that convinces since 1990 with its own materials, in-house production and extensive testing.