Birdair, Inc.

What Birdair, Inc. does

Birdair, Inc. is a turn-key specialty contractor that designs, engineers, fabricates, installs and maintains custom tensile membrane structures for building envelopes. Founded in 1954 (firmographics list 1956) by Walter Bird - who adapted NASA-derived PTFE fiberglass coating for architectural roofing - the company is headquartered in Buffalo, New York, and operates as a member of Japan's Taiyo Kogyo Group. Its core membrane product line spans PTFE fiberglass (30+ year project life, UV-immune, flame resistant), TensoSky-branded ETFE film for roofs and facades, PVC membrane, and the patent-pending Tensotherm insulated translucent membrane that sandwiches Cabot Lumira aerogel between PTFE layers to deliver R9-R12 insulation values. Birdair also offers tensile facades, modular Quasar pavilions, and tensile umbrella structures.

Birdair operates a project-based, enterprise-field-sales go-to-market in which pre-construction services (design assistance, budgeting, construction methodologies, scheduling) precede full design-build delivery. Revenue is generated principally through custom design-build project contracts (multi-year) supplemented by membrane material supply with technical supervision. The company maintains an in-house design, engineering, fabrication, installation and maintenance stack rather than disaggregating these functions to subcontractors, and works directly with building owners, architects, engineers and general contractors rather than through indirect channel partners. Its primary customer segments are stadiums and arenas (incl. retractable-roof systems) and transportation infrastructure (airport terminals, parking structures, walkways), with secondary exposure to retail, entertainment/cultural venues and education/recreation facilities.

The company's customer list spans signature projects such as the AT&T Stadium PTFE retractable roof (148,000 sq ft), MetLife Stadium canopies, Estadio Mineirao and La Plata Stadium for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the Under Armour Global Headquarters ETFE facade, Raleigh-Durham International Airport canopies, the Kennedy Space Center Atlantis exhibit, and the Empire City Casino ETFE porte-cochere. Birdair operates in North and South America (through wholly-owned Taiyo Birdair do Brasil in Sao Paulo), with a fabrication facility in Tijuana, Mexico, and draws on additional Taiyo Kogyo entities in Europe, the Middle East, China, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Cambodia for cross-region project execution. Pricing is quote-based and varies materially with project scope, membrane type, size, complexity and site conditions; no public pricing tiers exist.

Name

Birdair, Inc.

Legal name

Birdair, Inc.

Website

https://birdair.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Birdair, Inc. is a turn-key specialty contractor headquartered in Buffalo, NY, that designs, engineers, fabricates, installs and maintains custom tensile membrane structures - including PTFE fiberglass, ETFE film, PVC, and insulated Tensotherm systems - for stadiums, airports, retail and entertainment venues across North and South America as a member of the Taiyo Kogyo Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Williamsville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Design-Build Project Services: Birdair operates as a turn-key specialty contractor providing complete design-build solutions encompassing pre-construction services (design assistance, budgeting, construction methodologies, project scheduling) and full project execution (design, engineering, fabrication, installation and maintenance of tensile structures). Revenue is generated through large-scale construction project contracts.
2. Membrane Material Supply: Supply of architectural fabric membranes including PTFE fiberglass, ETFE film, PVC and Tensotherm for third-party installation projects, often with technical supervision during installation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Birdair is a specialty contractor that designs, engineers, fabricates, and installs custom tensile membrane structures and roofing systems for large-scale architectural and commercial applications. The company delivers turnkey fabric structures — including PTFE fiberglass, ETFE film, PVC, and insulated translucent membranes — for venues such as stadiums, airports, transportation hubs, and other long-span building projects. Its offering combines structural engineering, proprietary membrane systems, fabrication, and on-site installation as an integrated design-build service.

Product overview

Birdair, Inc. is a specialty contractor offering custom tensile membrane structures, providing complete design-build solutions including pre-construction assistance (design assistance, budgeting, construction methodologies, project scheduling), design, engineering, fabrication, installation, and maintenance of tensile structures. The company offers architectural fabric membranes including PTFE Fiberglass, TensoSky® ETFE Film, PVC, and Tensotherm™ Insulated Translucent Membrane. As a turn-key specialty contractor, Birdair serves markets including stadiums/arenas, transportation, retail, entertainment/leisure, institutional, and environmental sectors worldwide with operations in North and South America through the Taiyo Kogyo Group network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TensoSky® ETFE Film: Single-layer ETFE film product used for facades and roofing applications
• Tensotherm™

Products and services

• Tensioned Membrane Roofing Custom-engineered tensile fabric roofing systems designed for large-span commercial and architectural projects such as stadiums, arenas, and transportation facilities.
• PTFE Fiberglass Membrane Polytetrafluoroethylene-coated fiberglass membrane system used as a durable, weather-resistant roofing and facade material for long-span structures.
• TensoSky ETFE Film Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene film system offering lightweight, transparent, and self-cleaning envelope solutions for architectural roofing and skylight applications.
• PVC Membrane Polyvinyl chloride membrane system used for tensile architecture projects requiring flexible, cost-effective fabric roofing and shading solutions.
• Tensotherm Insulated Translucent Membrane Insulated translucent membrane system that combines a structural outer layer with insulation to provide thermal performance and natural daylighting for tensile roof assemblies.
• Tensile Facades Tensile membrane facade systems used as architectural cladding to deliver distinctive exterior aesthetics combined with lightweight structural performance.
• Quasar Modular Structures Modular tensile structure system engineered for rapid deployment of distinctive architectural enclosures and shade structures.
• Umbrellas Tensile membrane umbrella structures providing shade and architectural statement pieces for public spaces, commercial venues, and outdoor gathering areas.

Quantifiable outcome

• PTFE membrane reflects up to 73% of solar energy while holding just 7% on exterior surface
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered major, flagship and core.

• Iron Workers Local Union 5majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 December 2024Collaboration on the Under Armour Global Headquarters project which won the 2024 IMPACT Project of the Year Award for architectural and ornamental excellence.
• Taiyo Kogyo GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerBirdair is a member of the Taiyo Kogyo Group, a global network of tensile architecture companies including operations in North America, South America, Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Australia. The group provides shared technology, resources, and global project capabilities.
• Taiyo Birdair do Brasil (TBB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWholly-owned subsidiary of Birdair based in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Responsible for installation of tensile membrane structures in South America, including major projects for 2014 FIFA World Cup venues.
• Cabot CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed Tensotherm with Nanogel/Lumira aerogel insulation system. Cabot provides the aerogel insulation technology that is sandwiched between PTFE membranes in Birdair's Tensotherm product.
• Geiger EngineerscoreTechnology or IntegrationCo-developed Tensotherm insulated membrane roofing system. Geiger Engineers contributed structural engineering expertise to the composite membrane product development.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Structurflex: Structurflex designs, engineers, fabricates, and installs custom tensile membrane structures and is one of Birdair's most direct North American competitors. It competes head-to-head for stadium, airport, and architectural fabric projects across the U.S.
• FabriTec Structures: FabriTec Structures is a specialty contractor of tensile membrane and cable-stayed structures serving stadiums, canopies, and architectural facades. Its product offering and project mix closely overlap Birdair's core PTFE/ETFE stadium and arena business.
• Vector Foiltec: Vector Foiltec is a global specialist in ETFE-based building envelopes and pneumatic cushion roofing systems. It directly competes with Birdair's TensoSky ETFE product line in stadium facades, atria, and large-span transparent roof applications.
• Architen Landrell: Architen Landrell is a UK-based designer and manufacturer of tensile fabric structures and ETFE systems for sports, transport, and retail applications. It offers comparable design-build specialty contracting services and competes with Birdair on international stadium and airport bids.
• Base Structures: Base Structures is a UK tensile architecture specialist providing fabric structures, ETFE, and cable net systems. It overlaps with Birdair across stadium canopies, transport infrastructure, and signature architectural fabric projects.
• Makmax Australia: Makmax Australia is a sister company within the Taiyo Kogyo Group, providing tensile membrane structures across Australia and Asia-Pacific. It uses comparable PTFE/ETFE technology and competes for the same mega-project categories as Birdair in a different geography.
• Taiyo Kogyo (Japan): Taiyo Kogyo is the Japanese parent company and original developer of PTFE tensile architecture. It operates the same core technology in Asia and competes with Birdair for global sports and transport infrastructure projects, sharing R&D and IP.
• Hightex GmbH: Hightex is a German specialist in membrane architecture and ETFE/PVDF structures for stadiums, airports, and cultural venues. It offers the same design-build specialty contracting model and is a credible global competitor to Birdair.

Broad incumbents

• Enclos Corp. Enclos is a large U.S. specialty facade contractor offering custom curtain wall, glass, and architectural envelope systems. While not a tensile specialist, it overlaps with Birdair in stadium and high-rise facade scopes and brings broader scale and balance sheet resources.
• Walters & Wolf: Walters & Wolf is a U.S. architectural facade and cladding systems contractor serving commercial buildings, transit, and sports venues. It competes with Birdair on envelope scopes where steel/glass intersects with fabric membrane applications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/birdair
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/birdair-inc-

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Birdair, Inc.