During the World Exposition 2000 in Hannover, Germany, the ‘Duales System’, a German recycling project, had a pavilion that utilized Texlon ETFE Foil Systems for both wall and roof envelopes.

The wall was a three layer system, with a positive/negative leaf pattern printed on the two outer layers. These foil cushions were pneumatically operated to allow the wall to change from a translucent to an opaque system, to enhance visuals during the performances shown within the building.

The roof of this pavilion was one of the World's largest ETFE foil cushions, over 25m in diameter, and featuring a series of fabric tubes within the system, that could expand or contract to adjust transparency of the system, in relation to the performance.

The Texlon system was selected for its variable transparency technologies and for its ecological characteristics. Not only are the materials in Vector Foiltec's system 'green', but even more profound are the sustainable design opportunities afforded.

The foil products have extremely low energy consumption during their manufacturing process, and the complete system weighs between 50 and 90 percent less than systems made from other materials with comparable properties, further reducing the amount of structural steel required to support the cladding.

Part of the system is manufactured from recycled materials and the entire system can ultimately be returned to our facility to be recycled at the end of the project's life. The Architect can explore green or sustainable design solutions for responsive, intelligent day lighting and dynamic thermal properties that can alter spatial characteristics and building performance.