Conclusions and deliberations on future developments

This research also showed that there were barriers in Australia to the adoption of textiles as a fagade material and that leading architects have some awareness of their energy-efficiency benefits. This encouraging support for implementing textiles as a more contemporary building material does augur well for the more widespread adoption of textiles, once some of the barriers identified here can be overcome. 

To provide architects with increased ability to plan the use of textiles in the future, cost analyses need to compare textile solutions with glass alternatives, taking into account the supporting structure and framing systems, the constant energy consumption of the pumps for ETFE cushions and the durability of the system as a whole, as well as cleaning issues to consider the self-cleaning effect of some textile materials. As the cost-related issues 

Armijos, S (2008), Fabric Architecture Creative Resources for Shade, Signage, and Shelter, Norton, New York 

Kernan, P (1996), Life-cycle energy use in office buildings . Building and Environment, Vol. 31, No. 4, pp. 307-317 

Dimoudi, A, Tompa, C (2008), Energy and environmental indicators related to construction of office buildings , Resources, Conservation and Recycling, Vol. 53, No. 1, pp. 86-95 

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