Under the guise of an experiment: the theme of the current issue of INTRA is textiles

Membrane architecture, transparent facades, flexible structures, a dreamy atmosphere and pure functionality. The textile issue of the magazine INTRO will present readers with unique domestic and foreign realizations – from an experimental project in Ecuador to temporary housing in Poland. It will be available for purchase at the end of July.

The viewpoint in the middle of Ecuadorian forests, made of wooden construction with a roof of fabric impregnated with high-strength cement mortar, will capture readers' attention even at a glance at the cover of the July issue. Pages 6 to 15 are dedicated to the experimental work of the studio Al Borde, while on the remaining 118 pages you will find, for example, an interview with Brooklyn architects SO – IL, followed by their project for the urban housing of the future, as well as information about the new building of the Textile Academy NRW or about a staircase in an Art Nouveau building in the heart of Barcelona, designed by the studio of architect Kengo Kuma, which is draped in a curtain of aluminum chains reminiscent of a fishing net.

Another such experiment could be the way the cottage in Vojtěchov in the Olomouc region is roofed, where the architect and owner of the building decided to use waterproof fabric as the roofing material. “The attic has become a place for overnight stays, where one can perceive the daylight, hear the wind, and the visitor can be lulled by the sound of rain,” says the project author Adam Lacina.

Japanese architect Shigeru Ban has taken a different path in architecture, having lost the sense in working for privileged and wealthy clients and instead begun seeking inexpensive solutions that do not burden the environment. One such solution is a kind of partition system designed to create temporary housing for people who have found themselves homeless due to war, for example.

The renovation of the rope-making space in Újezd, Prague, designed by the Czech duo Magdalena Rochová and Radek Jaroušek, will not go unnoticed either. “Ropes offer many possibilities and ideas. It was important for us in the design that we didn’t overwhelm the interior with these ideas,” the architects say. An interview with Miloš Kopřiva about membrane architecture and much more is also prepared for you.

The launch of the newly released INTRA will take place at the Spolek House in Slavonice on Friday, August 5, at 5 PM. More information can be found here.