Stylepark Techtextil
Focusing on the city

Hardly any global development is of greater interest to architects and urban planners at this moment than urbanization. The migration by many members of the world’s population into cities is causing a whole raft of both economic and ecological problems, or making them worse. What is certain is that there is no getting a handle on the challenges as regards housing construction, infrastructure or supply/disposal systems simply by dipping into the toolbox of existing solutions. Instead, new materials and materials applications will be one key to mastering the tasks arising along with urbanization. Technical textiles will play a crucial role in this process. In the fields of architecture and mobility, they can function as smart and resource-sparing alternatives to conventional materials.

Such possible uses will take center stage at the special event “Urban Living – City of the Future” at the Techtextil 2019. The leading international trade fair for technical textiles and nonwovens, which takes place in Frankfurt from May 14-17, has teamed up with “Creative #olland,” the association of the Dutch creative industries, to address the topic of urbanization. A special exhibition zone in the trade fair complex will be dedicated to a wide array of different fields were textiles and nonwovens may be used in future cities – starting with the supply of food through medical applications, mobility concepts and architecture, to intelligent clothing.

The over-arching theme of “Urban Living – City of the Future” will be explored in greater depth as part of a completely new type of lecture series: For the first time, this year the Techtextil Forum in Hall 4.1 will function as a platform for the entire duration of the trade fair. The new lecture format enables all trade visitors to hear the opinion of research and industry experts on various important and trail-blazing issues. The Techtextil Forum program will feature “Urban Living” lectures on textile concrete, green and living walls and membrane structures for high-performance facades. 

Another range of topics that will be discussed at the Techtextil Forum come under the overall heading of sustainability. Trade visitors will thus be able to hear lectures that bring them up to date, among other things, on textile recycling, the traceability of GMO-free cotton, ecological dying technologies, and sustainable polymers. The Smart Textiles panel, for example, will discuss the first communicating zip fastener, an invention by French start-up Genius Objects. Other Forum focuses include composites, geotextiles, digital transformation and technical textiles in medicine.

It is not just new events that are being launched. Successful formats are also being continued: In 2019 the “Techtextil Innovations Award” will be bestowed for no less than the 15th time – the award goes to the most excellent new developments and advances submitted in the field of technical textiles, nonwovens and functional clothing textiles.

This year, the second large competition hosted in the context of the Techtextil is also celebrating its 15th anniversary: “Textile Structures for New Building” is aimed at students and young professionals in the field of architecture. The competition, which is organized with the support of the renowned ILEK, the Institute for Lightweight Structures and Conceptual Design at the University of Stuttgart, rewards designs that make especially exemplary use of technical textiles.

In 2019, there will be even stronger cooperation between the Techtextil and the Texprocess, the leading international trade fair for processing textile and flexible materials, which takes place simultaneously. For the first time, the two trade fairs will share hall 4.1 and thus link up their programs and content even more closely. The “Digital Textile Micro Factory” that will be installed there this year will no doubt be especially interesting to visitors to the Techtextil. It will feature three production lines: one for clothing, one for shoes, and one for processing technical textiles.

In 2019, the Techtextil will be the most important venue if you want to get a comprehensive idea of the status and future of technical textiles. Existing trade-fair booth space has already as good as sold out. With the focus on “Urban Living” as its key theme, a topic that is much debated at present, and the new Techtextil Forum, the trade fair will also make available an invaluable range of background information that offers tangible added value for any professional for whom technical textiles are relevant.

Techtextil - Leading international trade fair for technical textiles and nonwovens

Frankfurt trade fair complex
May 14-17, 2019

Opening hours: 

9 a.m. – 6 p.m. (May 14-16)
9 a.m. – 5 p.m. (May 17)