Membrane Structures
NIEVA AND QUILLOPO
Introduction
MEMBRANE STRUCTURES IS UNDER
TENSILE STRUCTURES
The term tensile structures describes
the category of buildings in which
the load bearing capacity is
achieved through tension stress in
the majority of the components,
such as cables, technical fabrics or
foils. It can also be defined as a
structure where the exterior shell is a
fabric material spread over a
framework. The fabric is maintained
in tension in all directions to provide
stability. Tension structures are
commonly subdivided in boundary
tensioned membranes, pneumatic
structures and pre-stressed cable
nets and beams (Lewis 2003).
Structure with a thin, flexible surface
(membrane) that carries loads
primarily through tensile stresses,
provides strong lighting features.
There are two main types:
Tent structures and Pneumatic
structures.
History
The oldest tents were made out of
skins or woven fabrics. The fabric
only resists tensioning and has almost
no compression or bending stiffness.
The material is flexible and can be
folded or rolled up into a small
parcel.
Also ropes and cables are flexible. If
a rope hangs freely under its dead
weight it takes the form of a
catenary curve. The higher the
curvature, the lower is the horizontal
component of the reaction forces.
The form changes for different point
loads. A fabric that hangs freely
under its dead weight also changes
its shape if it is loaded, it could even
reverse its form.
History
Tension implies an optimal use of the
material, since the whole section is
uniformly stressed. Moreover there is
no buckling problem, like it is the
case for compression. The form
finding of fabric structures tries to
take full advantage of the tensile
strength of the material, while
preventing negative stresses to
occur.
To withstand upward and downward
loads, a cable has to be stabilised
and pretensioned: compression in
this case means a reduction of the
initial pretension.
Frei Paul Otto
Frei Paul Otto was a German
architect and structural engineer
noted for his use of lightweight
structures, in particular tensile and
membrane structures, including the
roof of the Olympic Stadium in
Munich for the 1972 Summer
Olympics
Membrane Structures
are lightweight constructions full of
beauty and elegance. It is the art of
spanning enormous distances with
minimal material thickness, where
design is following forces. This
symbiosis of form and structure
reduces weight, minimizes the
amount of resources and thus saves
energy and cost and creates light
flooded, striking and impressive forms
of architecture.
Structural membranes are
particularly suitable for refurbishment
of existing buildings and urban
spaces, especially historic ones,
when the needs of enlarging the
floor space or retrofitting existing
areas arise. While in the past,
structural membranes have been
used principally as a covering
system, a wider range of
requirements is emerging nowadays
and thus, a multiplicity of diverse
textile architecture solutions can
significantly fulfill many nuanced
needs dealing with protection and
valuing of the cultural heritage.
Principles
The single load of a brick causes a
kink of the rope at the suspension
point,
Title
both rope systems superimposed,
create the simplest cable net that
can carry downwards as well as
upward directed loads.
If the simple cable net is multiplied
by parallel cable shafts in both
directions, then the anticlastic
curved rope net arises. This structure
is an approximation to the form of
curved Membrane Structures and
clarifies their principal load bearing
behavior.
Minimal surfacein equilibrium
Surface tensions equal at every point
and every direction
Anticlastic curvature
STRUCTURES CHARACTERISTICS
The variety of forms of
Membrane Structures is endless. In
principle, the membrane structures
can be divided into two main
different types: The mechanically
pre-tensioned and pneumatically
pre-tensioned Structures.
The mechanical pre-tension
delivers, for example, saddle-shaped
(anticlastic) surfaces, like pre-
tensioned sails. The pneumatic pre-
tension delivers, for example, air
inflated cushions, tubes or air halls
with synclastic surfaces in most of
areas. Some membranes are
supported by single cables or cable
nets.
All membrane structures can
be described as secondary
structure, stabilized by a so called
primary structure. That means, the
primary structure made of rigid
materials, like steel or wood, doesn’t
collapse, when the membrane
structure (as secondary structure) is
taken away.
Title:
TENT STRUCTURE
Portable shelter, consisting of a rigid
framework covered by some flexible
substance. Tents are used for a wide
variety of purposes, including
recreation, exploration, military
encampment, and public gatherings
such as circuses, religious services,
theatrical performances, and
exhibitions of plants or livestock.
Type of tent fabric structures
Saddle roof
Mast supported
Arch supported
Saddle roof
Four or more point system when the
fabric is stretched between a set of
alternating high and low points
MAST SUPPORTED
Tent-like in appearance, mast
supported structures typically have
one or sometimes several peaks that
are supported by either interior or
perimeter masts.
Arch supported
Curved compression members are
used as the main supporting
elements and cross arches are used
for lateral lability.
In a plane arch, large differences
between the thrust lines and the
main geometry will produce large
bending moments that in turn
produce large changes in shape
and high stresses in the arch chord
section. One method to significantly
reduce these effects is to tie or
restrain points along the arch chord
to reduce the initial large
deformations of the chord
The buckling length of the arch
chord can also be reduced by
discretely or continuously supporting
the chord with tension elements or
systems comprised of cables or
membranes.
Components
BASE PLATE:
Connection to concrete foundation
pillar
MEMBRANES:
Forms the enclosure of the structure.
Connections can be glued or heat
welded
PVC coated polyester
(polyvinylchloride)
Silicon coated glass
Teflon coated glass P.T.F.E
(polytetrafluroethylene)
BALE RING/ MEMBRANE PLATE:
Provide a link between the
membrane and structural elements..
Bale rings are used at the top of
conical shapes.
Membrane plates accept centenary
cables and pin connection
hardware.
TYPES OF FABRIC MEMBRANE:
PVC : Less expensive
15 to 20 year life span
Easy to erect
SILICON GLASS: Higher tensile
strength
Brittle, subject to damage from
flexing
30+ year life span
TEFLON GLASS: Similar to silicon
glass, less
brittle.
Specialize hardware
Tensioner
Cable clams
Edge cable with c lamps. Used
mainly for PTFE-coated fiber glass
fabric , but also for PVC-coated poly
ester fabric when edge spansare
longer than 20m.

Channel (with grommets) and
lacing. Used with PV C-
coated polyester fabric where the
edge has grommets spaced at
frequent intervals.
Rope is laced thro ugh the grommets
and to a tie rod within the channel.
SOLAR BEHAVIOR
Material for tensile structure
Structural fabric is the material that
defines lightweight tensile structures
STRUCTURAL FABRIC
Requirements
As a primary structural element, it
must have the strength to span
between supporting elements, carry
snow and wind loads, and be safe to
walk on.
As enclosure element, it needs to be
airtight, waterproof, fire resistant and
durable.
As daily use element, it requires to
transmit daylight, reflect heat,
control sound, and be easy to keep
clean.
Sample Materials Fiberglass,
Polyester Cloth, PVC, Teflon.
TYPES OF FABRIC MEMBRANES PVC
• Less expensive
• 15 to 20 year life span
• Easy to erect
SILICON GLASS
• Higher tensile strength
• Brittle, subject to damage from
flexing
• 30+ year life span
TEFLON GLASS
• Similar to silicon glass, less brittle.
Advantages
There are many great advantages
and functional benefits of tensile
membrane structures and here are
few reasons why:
Flexible Design Aesthetics - Tensile
membrane structures provide
virtually unlimited designs of
distinctive elegant forms that can be
realized because of the unique
flexible characteristics of membrane
resulting in an iconic and unique
structure or feature for any building
owner, city or even region.
Outstanding Translucency – In
daylight, fabric membrane
translucency offers soft diffused
naturally lit spaces reducing the
interior lighting costs while at night,
artificial lighting creates an ambient
exterior luminescence.
Excellent Durability- With several
different membranes in the market
place such as PTFE fiberglass, ETFE
film, PVC, and ePTFE, the durability
and longevity of tensile membrane
structures have been proven.
Lightweight Nature-The lightweight
nature of membrane is a cost
effective solution that requires less
structural steel to support the roof
compared to conventional building
materials, enabling long spans of
column-free space.
Low Maintenance -Tensile
membrane systems are somewhat
unique in that they require minimal
maintenance when compared to an
equivalent-sized conventional
building.
Cost Benefits -Most tensile
membrane structures have high sun
reflectivity and low absorption of
sunlight, thus resulting in less energy
used within a building and ultimately
reducing electrical energy costs.
Planning and Building
DESIGN and Application of
Membrane Structures
In order to create an ideal,
aesthetically flawless and ultimately
economical membrane structure, it
makes sense to work closely
together with all parties involved -
client, planner and membrane
construction company - at a very
early stage.
The architect's first sketches
determine the framework conditions
resulting from the functional
requirements of the planned
structure and the desired optical
effect. From this, the specialist
engineer of the membrane
construction company develops a
preliminary design, which includes
both the geometrically necessary
shaping as well as the constructional
necessary elements, e. g. the
positioning of supports, bracing,
anchorages, etc.. A budget can be
determined from this draft. Together
with the architect and the client, the
final design, the planned aesthetics,
functional requirements and the
planned budget are compared on
the basis of this design.
In contrast to conventional
structures, the final shape of
membrane structures is only
determined by the statics. This
means that the design planning must
be carried out in close coordination
with the static analysis in order to
achieve an economically and
creatively optimal conception. Due
to the long service life of the
materials, membrane structures are
classified as permanent structures
like conventional structures. They are
therefore subject to approval in
accordance with the standards of
the individual countries and must
correspond to the load assumptions
contained in the respective building
regulations. Regional regulations
such as wind and snow loads, for
example, must be taken into
account, as well as climatic
characteristics.
The actual static calculation is
based on the data described
above, which resulted from the form
determination. Within the scope of
extensive calculations, which have
to take into account not only the
different load cases but also the
three - dimensionality of the roofing
and the biaxial expansion behavior
of the material, the final verifiable
static calculation is prepared.
Structural examples
The completion of the ruins of the
Corbera d'Ebre hilltop roofless
church is an outstanding example of
recovering the use of a building
while preserving its architectural
character. The roof was destroyed
during the Spanish Civil War (1936-
1939) and its ruins remained as a
memorial of the events that strongly
affected the village and its habitants
(fig. 6). Nevertheless, the lack of
protection exposed the church to 75
years of deterioration, which
severely limited its use for cultural,
social, or religious activities.
The "Palacio de Minería" in old
downtown Mexico City was
designed by the Architect Manuel
Tolsá, and was built between 1797
and 1813. It is considered a
masterpiece of Latin American
neoclassicism that must be
preserved. It houses several
institutions, and its 26 x 26 m
courtyard is often used for diverse
social, cultural, commercial, and
academic events such as book fairs,
conferences, concerts, courses,
exhibitions, and fashion shows. To
provide shade and protection from
the rain, a cover was designed and
built in 2002 that became an icon of
textile architecture in Mexico. After
nine years of use, the structure was
still in good mechanical condition,
but its appearance was strongly
affected by the high level of
pollution and by the lack of regular
maintenance. Therefore, the cover
was replaced in 2011, taking the
opportunity to improve the material
from PVC-coated polyester
Précontraint 705 by Serge Ferrari to
the dirt-resistant, 100% recyclable
and durable 1102 T2 by the same
material producer
The Denver International Airport
(1995) features a terminal building
roofed by a white membrane
stretched from steel masts. Another
such structure is London's The O2
(formerly Millennium Dome), which
has a tensioned membrane structure
with a diameter of 320 metres (1,050
feet), one of the largest in the world.
The O2 Arena is a multi-purpose
indoor arena in the centre of The O2
entertainment complex on the
Greenwich Peninsula in southeast
London. It opened in its present form
in 2007. It has the second-highest
seating capacity of any indoor
venue in the United Kingdom,
behind the Manchester Arena, and
in 2008 was the world's busiest music
arena.
ETON CENTRIS
NUVALI
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