8/10/2020 4:5 AM SURFACES REPORTER
4 Min Read
Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene, better known as ETFE, has become the material of choice for architects for the spectacular façade design. ETFE was originally developed in 1970s by DuPont for a lightweight and heat resistant coating for aerospace industry. The material was popularized by PTW Architects' Water Cube in 2008 Beijing Olympics.
It is flexible and able to self clean making it a better choice against other costlier facade materials. To design a façade with ETFE, layers of the material are continually filled with air from a pneumatic system to create pillow-like cushions. It provides thermal insulation and structural stability against wind or snow loads. Also, individual cushions can be lit with color-changing LEDs to create unique patterns. Recently, Diller Scofidio + Renfro has used it to design the 120-foot telescopic shell of The Shed New York’s 200,000-square-foot shape-shifting arts building.
Know more about ETFE and its unique properties in this exclusive video by Surfaces Reporter.
Like, Follow and Subscribe Surfaces Reporter's Social Media pages to get regular updates.
SR FACEBOOK - https://bit.ly/30rsmZg
SR LINKEDIN - https://bit.ly/2Pw9of9
SR INSTAGRAM - https://bit.ly/2Pzp3KG
SR YOUTUBE - https://bit.ly/2DEErmi