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January 2010 Vol. 10 No. 1
Feature Article
Fabric Formworkby Stacey Enesey Klemenc Kenzo Unno, a Japanese architect in Tokyo, devised methods to cast
beautifully shaped walls with thin, flexible textile sheets. These methods
are collectively called "Unno Reinforced Concrete." Photo by Mark West
Green, clean, relatively inexpensive and incredibly practical, fabric formwork can be used with concrete to produce structurally efficient and architecturally compelling components in all shapes and sizes, ranging from footings, columns and beams to walls, sinks, furniture and an array of accessories "It's allowed us to create masonry architecture using very simple skills," says Sandy Lawton, owner of ArroDesign, a design/build construction company in Waitsfield, Vt. With a background in carpentry, Lawton says, he found rigid formwork complicated and labor intensive. "Fabric formwork has given us the freedom to do complicated structural work in a very different way that's not complicated at all. That's the bigger advantage...
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