What Is a Pre-Assembled Fabric Facade?
A pre-assembled fabric facade is a tensioned fabric skin, fabricated and assembled into finished units in the shop and then attached to a building or to a supporting frame on site.
Pre-Assembled Fabric Facades
Where Does the Fabric Come From?
A facade is judged on how it looks after years outdoors, so the coating and the top finish matter as much as the strength. We are not a fabric distributor. Every membrane we quote is a material we engineer and fabricate with.
Behind that choice is a fabric maker. Lightweight Structures is part of Seaman Corporation, which has been making industrial coated fabrics in the United States since 1949: yarn, weaving and knitting, coating, finished membrane, all under one roof.
The architectural membrane itself, bought by the roll, comes from Shelter-Rite Architectural Fabrics, the Seaman Corporation brand for architectural membrane. Lightweight Structures is the panel fabrication and engineering side of the same company. If the question is the material, start with Shelter-Rite. If it is fabricated panels and engineered assemblies, start here.
Materials and Keder for Facade Panels
Product
Keder
Keder is the rope edge that connects a fabric panel to its frame. It slides into a channel in an aluminum rail, and the rails fit almost any existing frame.
Product
Fabrics
Compare PVC-coated polyester, PTFE-glass, ePTFE, fluoropolymer film, polyethylene, solution-dyed woven, and PVC mesh. Selection guidance and free samples.
Talk to an Engineer
Send us drawings or a description of the structure and expect prompt initial feedback.
Data Sheets and Product Literature
Fabric data sheets and keder catalogs are in the documents library.
Our Industry Insights
Case Studies
Built in Allentown, on Display in Wooster: The New Tulip Canopy
With the expansion of our Wooster Headquarters came a new architectural feature that reflects the expertise of our team in Pennsylvania.
Case Studies
Penn State Water Tower Tensile Canopies
How PVC-coated polyester canopies, fabricated by Lightweight with Signature Structures, created a unique shade structure at Penn State University.
Blogs
Types of Industrial Fabric Welds
A practical guide to RF, hot air, hot wedge, and hot bar welding for coated industrial fabrics, including when to use each method.
Blogs
5-Step Turnkey Reskin Overview
A five-step walkthrough of a turnkey reskin: replacing the outer fabric and inner liner of a football practice facility with keder panels.
Start Your Project with Lightweight Structures
Ask a question, request a quote, or request free fabric and keder samples. Expect prompt initial feedback from our team.
