The Polynesian garden and pool, surrounded by 15 massive fabric lanterns, inspires a relaxed tropical ambiance—despite its location on the sixth-floor roof deck of a residential high-rise in Hollywood. The Legacy Lanterns, created by Canvas Specialty, Los Angeles, Calif., are 12 feet tall, weigh 600 pounds each and resemble modernistic tiki torches. The project’s grand scale and visual pizzazz earned Canvas Specialty an Industrial Fabric Association International (ATA) Outstanding Achievement Award for 2010.

Canvas Specialty manufactures tensioned fabric structures for a variety of applications, including visual and architectural impact, and worked with the architect’s concept sketches to develop each lantern as a stand-alone fabric structure. A test version was UL-certified as an electrical fixture, the first hurdle, but the lanterns also had to be designed to withstand earthquakes and 85 mph wind speeds. The final products, fabricated with Ferrari Soltis® material welded to eliminate visible fabric seams, included maintenance access to each lantern’s eight electrical fixtures and individual transformer. The lanterns, crane-lifted to the sixth-floor roof deck and installed on individual pedestal bases, set off the pool and landscaping, giving residents a peaceful oasis in the midst of city amenities.