Tensile Architecture

This book provides an historical perspective for modern tensile architecture in the 20th century. It explores the tents of nomad cultures, geographical distribution of tent types, the effect of the dromedary on the distribution of the black tent, and seasonal specialization of Eskimo dwellings.

This book includes long span buildings, tensile structures, membrane and cable net structures. Includes: Schlumberger Works; Diplomatic Club, Riyadh; Research facilities for Schlumberger, Cambridge; Canada Harbour Place; Mound Stand; German Pavilion, Seville; Arche de la Defence, Paris.

Tensile surface structures are the visual expression of an intensive rethinking of the topic of building envelopes by designers. Advances in design methods, materials, construction elements and assembly and erection planning in the field of lightweight construction are enabling ever more exacting applications of tensile structures with envelope and structural functions, especially in roofing over large clear spans without internal support. However, the particular mechanical characteristics of the materials used in the construction of textile structures demand consideration of the question of "buildability". This book provides answers by discussing the fundamental influence of material manufacture and assembly in deciding the most suitable type of building or structure and its detailing in the design process. The fundamentals of material composition, manufacturing process, patterning and the behaviour of flexible structural systems are all explained here, as well as their use as structural and connection elements, and special attention is given to the erection of wide-span lightweight structures. The erection equipment is described, as well as the lifting and tensioning process and the construction methods used to erect the characteristic types of tensile structures, illustrated with a selection of example projects. Forword by Werner Sobek.

Tensile Fabric Structures: Design Analysis and Construction summarises the range of tensile membrane structure forms and their applications and documents the current state of knowledge regarding loading form finding and nonlinear analysis of membrane structures. Structural forms and details are generally left exposed in tensile membrane designs and are strongly tied to architecture and aesthetics. These environmentally friendly and economically competitive structures are found in a wide range of recreational and transportation facilities. This report updates the earlier Tensioned Fabric Structures: A Practical Introduction.Topics include: history of tensioned membrane structuresmechanical lighting and thermal properties of membrane materialsfire safety and durability of membrane materialsshape determination and analysisfabrication and erection process attachment to supporting structuresstructural design and aestheticsThis report will provide practical guidance to structural engineers architects and builders of tensile membrane structures.

Tents have been prized for centuries for their lightness, mobility, small footprint and structural elegance. New tents offer innovative and significant solutions to age-old problems. With the demand on architects to touch the earth lightly, together with a cross-disciplinary interest in technotextiles, membrane structures are assuming new prominence and pleasing forms. This wide-ranging international survey looks at the exciting possibilities of contemporary tensile building and the most interesting membrane structures created in recent years. Includes: - Architectural and cultural history of the tent - Thirty recent projects grouped by theme, such as atrium covers and fabric walls, ring roofs and convertibles, small peaks, large waves - Accessible text descriptions, photographs and line drawings. New Tent Architecture will be valued by architecture and design professionals, engineers and students everywhere.

This book offers a well-structured, critical review of current design practice for tensioned membrane structures, including a detailed analysis of the experimental data required and critical issues relating to the lack of a set of design codes and testing procedures. The technical requirements for biaxial testing equipment are analyzed in detail, and aspects that need to be considered when developing biaxial testing procedures are emphasized. The analysis is supported by the results of a round-robin exercise comparing biaxial testing machines that involved four of the main research laboratories in the field. The biaxial testing devices and procedures presently used in Europe are extensively discussed, and information is provided on the design and implementation of a biaxial testing rig for architectural fabrics at Politecnico di Milano, which represents a benchmark in the field. The significance of the most recent developments in biaxial testing is also explored.

Scottish zoologist D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson's visionary ideas in On Growth and Form continue to evolve a century after its publication, aligning it with current developments in art and science. Practitioners, theorists, and historians from art, science, and design reflect on his ongoing influence. Overall, the anthology links evolutionary theory to form generation in both scientific and cultural domains. It offers a close look at the ways cells, organisms, and rules become generative in fields often otherwise disconnected. United by Thompson's original exploration of how physical forces propel and shape living and nonliving forms, essays range from art, art history, and neuroscience to architecture, design, and biology. Contributors explore how translations are made from the discipline of biology to the cultural arena. They reflect on how Thompson's study relates to the current sciences of epigenesis, self-organization, biological complex systems, and the expanded evolutionary synthesis. Cross-disciplinary contributors explore the wide-ranging aesthetic ramifications of these sciences. A timeline links the history of evolutionary theory with cultural achievements, providing the reader with a valuable resource.