Ben Morris – Vector Foiltec
ETFE Enclosures
Thursday 22nd November, 6.30pm, Room M421
Architecture and the Built Environment
University of Westminster
School of Architecture and the Built Environment
London NW1 5LS
London NW1 5LS
ETFE was first patented by DuPont in the 1940s, but went commercial in the 1970s when US manufacturer DuPont and Hoechst in Germany launched ETFE wire and cable insulation. Vector Foiltec, a sailmaking firm set up in 1982, pioneered the architectural use of ETFE. Vector Foiltec, located in London and Bremen, is now the leading fabricator of ETFE cushions.
This talk looks at recent advances in ETFE technology. Ben Morris will discuss variable light transmission, controlling solar gain and ultraviolet rays, speciality coatings and printing, specialist lighting effects, colouring and patterning, full pixelated LED graphic display, enhanced plant growth (including the first grass in enclosed stadia) and cloud (fog) formation in Enric Ruis Geli’s Media-ICT building in Barcelona.