MEMBRANE STRUCTURE

MEMBRANE STRUCTURE
INTRODUCTION:
A membrane structure is tensile surface structure consisted
by textile. The materials used for architectural membranes
generally consist of a woven fabric coated with a polymeric
resin.
• For example, PVC-coated polyester fabrics and PTFE Double Cone Tent and Perimeter Tensile Canopy
coated glass fabrics are commonly used. Membrane Felcris Centrale, Davao City
structures provide wide span enclosures of great spatial Area: 1,100sq.m.
interest and variety require minimal supporting elements of
"hard" structure and provide very good overall levels of
natural daylight. Membrane structures create various
forms.
• In the architecture and civil engineering area, membrane
forms and systems are divided into two categories, namely
“pneumatic membrane” and “tensile membrane”.
Tensile Roof Chapel
Nostalji Enclave, Dasmarinas Cavite
Area: 250 sq.m
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MEMBRANE STRUCTURE
COMMON MISCONCEPTION
FABRIC STRUCTURES CANNOT TAKE HEAVY WEATHER CONDITIONS  FALSE
FABRIC IS ELASTIC AND STRETCHES Fabric has a strong tensile strength and will
creep (stretch very slightly) only a few percent over 20 years of use.

ADVANTAGES:
Unique designs Lightweight and flexible Environmentally sensitive
High strength weight ratio.

DISADVANTAGES
Little to no rigidity Loss of tension is dangerous for stability
Thermal values limit use.
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CLASSIFICATION
The structural use of membranes can be divided into:
pneumatic structures
tensile membrane structures
cable domes
pneumatic structures
In these three kinds of structure, membranes work together with cables, Eden Project Cornwall United Kingdom
columns and other construction members to find a form. Membranes are
also used as non-structural cladding, as at the Beijing National Stadium
where the spaces between the massive steel structural members are infilled
with PTFE coated glass fiber fabric and ETFE foil.

Materials
tensile membrane structures
The common membranes used in membrane structures include: Rosa Parks Transit Center
Detroit, MI, USA
PVC coated polyester fabric
Translucent Polyethylene fabric
PVC coated glass fiber fabric
PTFE coated glass fiber fabric; foils like 
ETFE foil 
PVC foil.

cable domes
Suspen-Dome System: A Fascinating Space Structure.
China
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EVOLUTIONOFMEMBRANESTRUCTURES
1. Earlier forms:
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.

Nomad Shelter in Tundra & Iran Transport of Temporary Shelter

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.
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2. Basic form : The Hypar or Saddle Shape: The first basic form is the saddle shape. It has a double curvature: the
hanging curve can bear the downward load, the downward curve can bear the upward wind load.

the boundaries could be sloped arches (even forming a circle in plan view) or placed vertical.

The double curved membrane

could be tensioned into a 3D
curved ring or between two
parallel circles (polygons).
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3 Combining saddle shapes. Individual saddles could be placed in a grid, in this case they act as structurally independent
units.

In the next canopies small slightly curved saddles are jointed in a larger net: they act all together.

4. Other possibilities with saddle shapes. The next example is the roof above the architecture office of Willy Van Der
Meeren built in 1969. It was the first membrane roof, as far as I know, built in Belgium. Along its boundary it has several high
and low points.
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The following structure built by Tensoforma has 4 high and 4 low boundary points. It is a seasonal structure, the membrane is
taken away during the winter.

5 Basic form 2: the conical shape. Another basic form is the conical one
with an internal point out of the plane of the perimeter support. Again
this shape has a double curvature. This time the horizontal rings bear the
load from inside to outside and radial lines bear the load from outside to
inside.
The high point can be supported by inner or outer compression elements.
The conical form can be placed in the upright position. In the umbrellas
of the World Expo in Lisbon ‘98 an inner frame takes the pretension.
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Frei Otto designed the following foldable umbrellas.

Conical shapes are characterized by large radial stresses near to the center, while there is less and less material to withstand the
pretension and to transfer the forces to the supporting element.
In the Diplomatic Club of Ryadh (by Frei Otto) additional compression elements solve the problem. Steel cones reinforce the
high points of the awnings for the Olympic Games 2000. Radial arches support the high points in the Schlumberger factory in
Paris (by Renzo Piano).
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6 Combining conical shapes.
Several forms can be combined: they either touch at fixed boundary elements (Yokohama Show '89, Kurokawa, Hamautsu) -
remaining structural independent - or they act as a unity.

The Palenque built in the Expo in Sevilla ‘96 (by IPL) consists of double modules supported by external compression elements and
longitudinal cables. Along the boundary cable trusses ensure the pretension.
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7 Surfaces with conical regions.
Several high and low points could be used in the same roof.

The canopy built in the Markies building in Brussels is an example of conical forms jointed together into one structure. Along its
boundary it is fixed with cables to the second floor of the building. Cables fixed at the sixth floor pull up the high points. The
structure takes full advantages of the heavy surrounding building.

The high points of the covering of the stand of Lord's cricket ground (by Hopkins) are alternately supported by masts and cables.
Transverse pretension is introduced by compression elements connected to the masts.
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8 Arch supported shapes.
The following basic unit is supported by an arch. The built roof is constructed for the Olympic Games 2000 in Sydney.

Also the Diadema for the Expo in Sevilla ‘96 (by IPL) can be considered to be supported by an arch. Due to the fact that this is a
high structure, special wind tunnel tests have been performed to be sure to dimension this structure properly.
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9 Combining arch supported shapes.
The Zenith in Paris and in Montpellier (by Chaix, Morel) are covered by square modules each one tensioned by a diagonal
arch.

10 More possibilities for arch supported shapes.

Arches could be placed parallel.

The Fina Service Station in Wanlin was designed by Samyn & Partners.
MEMBRANE STRUCTURE

The equilibrium calculations were performed with EASY. The structure stands
upon 6 concrete columns. They hold 3 planar arches in the transverse direction.
Compression elements transmit the compression from one end to the other. The
curvature for the upward wind (which could be high for an open structure) is
quite small and for that reason cable trusses were added under the roof. They
only act for upward wind.
11 Wave forms
Another type of structure is the wave form, based on a two-
dimensional system with a load bearing cable, a tensioning
cable and connecting cable elements. If the load bearing
cables and tensioning cables are placed in parallel planes a
wave form is obtained.

For the structure used in the World Expo in Brisbane ‘88

(by IPL) a similar principle was arranged radially. Extra
cables pull the structure downward to withstand the large
wind loads on this high construction.
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12 Tensegrity.
The possibility to support structures by means of floating masts has already been mentioned. Sculptures have been made which
consists of bars and cable elements in such a way that an endpoint of a bar only touches cable elements. They are called tensegrity
structures.
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ADVANTAGE SOF MEMBRANE STRUCTURE
Aesthetics/Design
• Tensile membrane structures have a unique visual character and give designers, architects and engineers the ability to experiment with form and create
exciting new solutions to conventional design problems.

Code Compliance
• PTFE fiberglass membrane systems properly meet the requirements for the model codes for fire performance. Because of PTFE’s superior fire performance, it
can be used in all types of construction providing they meet with height and clearance requirements

Daylighting
• During scientific tests of its solar properties, it was discovered that PTFE fiberglass membranes reflect approximately 72-75 percent of the sun’s radiated
solar energy while allowing in approximately 8 to 20 percent of natural daylight to permeate the membrane depending on the strength and thickness of the
material.

Durability
• The durability of tensile membrane structures and their maintenance requirements is the result of the unique combination of design, materials,
construction and environment. There are several different membranes in the market place today that demonstrate various performance qualities.

Energy Use & Lighting

• Tensile membrane structures have high sun reflectivity and low absorption of sunlight. This greatly reduces the solar energy and heat gain that enters the
structure, thus resulting in less energy used within a building. The membrane allows for natural daylight to enter into the interior making it a comfortable
space while reducing electrical energy costs as there is significantly less use of artificial lighting during the day time. These beneficial characteristics have
made fabric membrane readily applicable for use in temperate or hot climates with high solar radiation.
MEMBRANE STRUCTURE
COMPONENTS:
Connection to concrete foundation pillar

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.

MEMBRANE
Forms the enclosure of the structure. Connections
can be glued or heat welded.
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Water drainage via membrane plates open

structure

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.
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SPECIALIZED HARDWARE

Tripod head with centenary Centenary cables at a side connection

cables

Tensioner Extruded section with membrane

plate and centenary cables
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