measure and also lower carbon footprint for transportation to a construction site. Combining the sequestered embodied carbon of the original building with the low carbon footprint of fabric elements keeps the overall calculations to a minimum. There is another approach with reusing existing buildings and that involves modifying existing buildings with " mid-doors " strategies. (See middoors sidebar on p. 8 and case study on p. 17.) This approach has been nicely applied by Goldsmith to two public spaces that work with existing buildings to find underused spaces that can be converted to more active use throughout the seasons. The concept of " mid-doors " is relatively recent, and it begins to make use of spaces that are neither indoor nor outdoor but a blend of both, focusing on spaces that provide a protected and pleasurable quality of accommodation. OPERATIONAL CARBON Fabric helps keep energy use down with significant shade over our buildings and pedestrian spaces which can generate LEED points. Examples include membrane facades and strategically placed canopies or umbrellas over ground level public walkways (see case study p. 16). The umbrella is a perfect metaphor for what we, as a society, have come to cherish since the impact of the COVID pandemic. We have learned that we can live outdoors more comfortably with protective shades or enclosures, many of which are made with architectural fabrics. In fact, the public Architect Nic Goldsmith, Silman Group, designed this add-on to the TSX Broadway mixed-use building near Times Square, in collaboration with Perkins Eastman Architects. It uses ETFE pillow roofing and ETFE motorized walls that allow indoor/ outdoor spatial qualities called a " mid-doors " space. Photo: Silman Lightweight Structures Group FABRIC ARCHITECTURE | SPECIFIER'S GUIDE 2024 5