The US Open came to an end last Sunday. The US Open is one of the four Grand Slam tennis
tournaments. But this is only half the truth. It could not come to an end yet, namely because
another hurricane stopped the tournament. The final took place 24 hours later. So, probably, many
ticket holders for the final were not be able to attend — they had to go to work on Monday, instead
of seeing a dream final.
It Rains
In the middle of the second semifinal, the players left the court because it started to
rain. This is actually quite normal for an outdoor sports event, which does not take place in
halls. In the end, outdoor sports are still dependent on the weather. However, since television
networks have more power than ever, they already dictate when and where a sports event will be
broadcast. Probably another event is on the schedule for the next day, which in fact was the case
for the US Open. Of course, the TV networks are the most important tool to transport the message “
US Open” to the world. So a lot of problems and logistics must be settled. You don’t believe me?
Check it out.
It Is Expensive
Now, one can read in the newspapers that the organizer of the tournament, the US Tennis
Association (USTA), wants to build a roof — “within the next years” because this seems to be very
difficult and also very expensive. The USTA calculates expenditures of about $100 million. I’m
sure, dear reader, you know, what’s coming now? Yes, of course, the use of technical textiles would
reduce expenditures and construction time substantially. But, very probably, these people think
only in tons of concrete, too.
Textile Constructions
But how should they know? They probably have no idea about a roof membrane construction that
can be pulled with ropes over a slim and lightweight steel skeleton — as is already in use in many
stadiums, primarily in Western Europe, where slowly but steadily one has recognized the advantages
of technical textiles. Constructions applying textiles are some of the oldest architectonic forms
in human history. Today, because of their outstanding economic and ecological advantages, textile
constructions are an indispensable element of modern architecture.
The physical principles in the development of textile fabrics follow the same physical
principles contained in the formation of soap bubbles or the human skin with regard to minimum
energy conditions between their own weight and external forces such as wind and snow; as well as
the lowest possible tension, expansion and resulting membrane curvature. For this reason, the
design of textile roofing represents a very large and special challenge to engineers, and as a
consequence, membrane constructions still represent an innovative possibility in modern
architecture.
Get The Right People Together
It takes many different parties to build a roof with a modern membrane construction for a
sports stadium. Just to name a few, there are the fiber and yarn producers, weaver, finisher,
maker-up, contractor, and, of course, the owner of the stadium. So the job is to bring these people
together. A successful job can only be done if the owner and the architect know that a membrane and
not concrete is the ideal material for the roof covering. The challenge is to inform all
participating parties of the possibilities of technical textiles.
Tell It Like It Is
The technology and technique of producing fibers, yarns, and woven and knitted fabrics, as
well as their further processing into technical textiles, have to be communicated. The biggest
hindrance to technical textiles communication in all production stages is the enormous variety of
application fields. It is particularly important in the technical textiles sector, therefore, to
communicate downstream from the end product and not from the machinery side.
Also here, you need the right tools to get information and to communicate with the industry.
How does the stadium proprietor or his general contractor know that you are just the right partner
or maker-up? Correct, you have to build up a market image through competence, and become a credible
supplier, and take your product literally to the market.
Textile Industries Media Group
’s magazines are just one tool to get information for these promising textile applications.
Another tool is to check out our website
www.TextileWorld.com. You will find a lot of
information about nonwovens and technical textiles. More and more, traditional textile
manufacturers are producing tailor-made fabrics for industrial applications. Referring to our
latest data, more than 22,000 people per month on average are clicking on this website to get the
latest information about technical textiles.
September 9, 2008
