Technological advances have allowed to use architectural textiles for many purposes. Compared to more traditional structures, fabric structures are very lightweight, making them easier to handle and transport. Fabric structures have shorter erection times compared to conventional building structures, and lower structural and reinforcement requirements lower the building costs. Many of the smaller fabric structures can be easily dismantled, transported, and re-erected. Some fabric structures don't need support pillars, making them a good storage option for large equipment and a good space for public gatherings. Fabric structures also have a high resistance to destructive forces such as earthquakes. With a softer edge than traditional building materials, fabric can be stretched and molded to form a wide variety of aestheticallly appealing shapes. With the development of coated fabrics, the industry has moved to large industrial projects including sport stadiums, shopping malls, airport hangars, and warehouses. The Lightweight Structures Association (LSA), a division of the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) lists eight major types of structures that use architectural textiles. These include tensile (or tension) structures, frame-supported structures, air-supported structures, air-inflated structures, cable-net structures, cable-and-strut (or tensegrity) structures, geodesic dome structures, and grid shell structures. There are five main fabrics commonly used for architectural applications. These are PVC polyester, PTFE glass fabrics, expanded PTFE fabrics, polyolefin coated and polyolefin fabrics, and ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) foils. A recent project in Germany highlights the benefits of ETFE foil. Asahi Glass Co. Ltd. supplied 150,000 square meters of fluororesin ETFE foil for the German soccer stadium Allianz-Arena in Munich, site of the opening match of the 2006 World Cup. When completed, the stadium will be the world's largest structure made of fluororesin ETFE foils. Earlier this year, John Boyle & Co. Inc. introduced a new addition to its Big Top vinyl laminated tent fabric line. The Nu Tent architectural lightweight fabric with an opacity greater than 99% and a high gloss finish for easy cleaning is fire resistant, durable, resistant to ultraviolet light and mildew. The company W.L.Gore & Associates Inc. produces two dominant types of fabric coatings that are widely used in building fabric structures today: PTFE-coated woven fiberglass and PVC-coated woven polyester. PTFE-coated fiberglass is known for its long life, high tensile strength, non-combustibility, and self-cleaning nature. PTFE-fiberglass is best suited for permanent installations. PVC-coated polyester is known for its flexibility and lower cost but shorter usable life as compared to PTFE-fiberglass. PVC-polyester is well suited for permanent, temporary, and deployable structures. Gore has marketed PTFE yarns, sewing threads, and fabrics woven of these yarns to the fabric structure industry as Tenara fabric, sewing thread, and fiber. Tenara textile products have a significant advantage in outdoor applications because UV radiation does not weaken it, nor do most chemicals. A well-respected project that uses Tenara fabric is the inner courtyard of the Prophet's Holy Mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia. Dyneon, a 3M company, has developed fluoropolymer coating for architectural fabrics. The coating was used at the Ehrenhof (Courtyard of Honor) of the Federal Chancellery of Berlin. The 2,600 ft(exp2) membrane awning uses a glass fabric coated with PTFE and fluorothermoplastic. New developments such as these are helping to convince the building industry that architectural textiles are an attractive and viable alternative to traditional building materials, but some are still reluctant to change.