Haddad Riverfront Park Project Receives AIA Award

May 10, 2011 - PRLog -- Haddad Riverfront Park in Charleston, WV, which features three fiberglass fabric membrane roof and façade cladding systems from Birdair, Inc., has received an Honor Award for Excellence in Architecture from the West Virginia chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

As the project’s design-build roofing subcontractor, Birdair constructed the TiO2-coated PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene or Teflon®) fabric membrane canopies. The project was completed in summer 2010 and the project team also included architect Silling Associates, Charleston, WV and engineer GAI Consultants, Charleston, WV.

The Birdair systems include a retractable fabric canopy over the park’s existing seating area, a steel and fabric roof for the park’s new permanent stage and a canopy covering a new pavilion overlooking the Kanawha River.

“The canopies were inspired by Charleston’s history with the classic steamboat and the fabric membrane provided the design flexibility for the desired aesthetic affect,” says Michael Grant, Birdair project manager. “The TiO2-coated fabric is also functional, providing shade, durability and low maintenance requirements."

The AIA Honor Awards for Excellence in Architecture recognize projects that demonstrate exemplary achievement in design. For more information, visit http://www.aiawv.org.

As a full-service specialty contractor, Birdair offers complete design-build  assistance and solutions throughout the design-build process, and has completed more than 1,200 tensile architecture installations worldwide. Learn more at http://www.birdair.com.

The Haddad Riverfront Park project was funded by a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). SBA’s funding should not be construed as an endorsement of products, opinions or services. All SBA-funded projects are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.

For high-res photos, visit: http://www.larsonobrien.com/birdair/html/haddad_riverfron...

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Birdair, Inc. is the leading specialty contractor of lightweight long-span roofing systems and tensile structures throughout the world, providing design-build solutions for architects and clients in all aspects of project design, engineering, installation and maintenance. The company offers a selection of architectural fabric membrane, including Tensotherm™ with Nanogel®, the world’s translucent insulated tensile membrane roofing material. Birdair, based in Amherst, NY, is a member of the Taiyo Kogyo Group, with operations serving North and South America and other international locations. For more information about Birdair, call 1-800-622-2246 or visit www.birdair.com.