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The 2006 World Cup served as a showcase for the extensive use of architectural textiles in Germany. Many of the stadiums which hosted world cup matches feature roofing and support structures made from high performance textiles. Furthermore, two of the world's largest companies which design and construct buildings using architectural textiles, Hightex and Covertex, have their headquarters in Germany. Textiles have a number of advantages over conventional roofing materials such as prefabricated hard panels of metal or plastic. The advantages include flexibility, light weight, low cost and high coverage. These properties enable architects to incorporate wider and longer panels into their designs. Today, the use of textiles in architecture is commonplace throughout the world in a number of structures, including public buildings, auditoria, open-air theatres, railway stations, airports, shopping centres, parks and landscaped spaces, entrances and walkway areas. Architectural textiles are usually made from woven polyester fabric coated with polyvinyl chloride (PVC), although other synthetics and coatings can be used. For special properties and enhanced durability, fibreglass fabric coated with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) can be employed. In addition, pneumatically pre-tensioned ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) film or sheeting offers a number of design possibilities at relatively low cost. Key fabric manufacturers supplying the architectural textile sector include Ferrari in France, Sattler in Austria and Verseidag-Indutex in Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the use of textile roofing for a stadium in Germany which will host the opening of the 2006 World Cup on June 9. The roof of the stadium cost €26 million and is made of white and translucent polytetrafluoroethylene/fiberglass membranes. The material used is named Duraskin which is supplied by Verseidag-Indutex. It is crack-resistant, water-proof and ultraviolet-proof. Acrylic tiles are sued to span a roof in sweeping structures held by steel masts. The skin of the material is called ethylene-tetraflourehtylene and is only 0.2 millimeter.

The article focuses on a pedestrian bridge built from a maintenance-free composite/glass fiber reinforced plastic material in Reinbek, Germany. It states that the primary decision to use the composite material was cost considerations as the composite bridge should last 80 years without requiring major repairs. It mentions that all of the components were prefabricated by composite profile manufacturer Fiberline Composites under controlled conditions and craned into place on prepared footings.

The article announces that Ford Forschungzentrum, Ford Motor Co.'s research centre in Germany, has revealed that more natural fibre-filled plastics called polypropylene (PP) reinforced sisal fibre will be used in its autoplastics. It mentions several disadvantages in using natural fibre fillers in plastics, among them, water absorption, disperability in compounding and use limited to dark coloured components. The article also provides an ecological comparison between fiberglass and hemp reinforced battery trays.