PRESENTATION BY :

TENSEGRITY RUTVIKA
DEVIKA
ADVANCE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION - || POOJA .V
RISHIT
ORIGIN & DEFINITION OF TENSEGRITY :
• The term “Tensegrity” was coined by Buckminster Fuller in 1960s
short for,
Tensional + integrity.

• Tensegrity, tensional integrity or floating compression is

a structural principle based on a system of isolated components
under compression inside a network of continuous tension, and
arranged in such a way that the compressed members (usually
bars or struts) do not touch each other while the prestressed
tensioned members (usually cables or tendons) delineate the
system spatially.
CONCEPT OF TENSEGRITY DESIGN
Tensegrity structures are structures based on combination of few design
patterns :
• Loading members only in pure compression or pure tension . Meaning
the structure will only fail if the cable yield or the rods buckle.
• Preload or tensional pre-stressed which allows cables to be rigid in
tension.
• Mechanical stability which allows the members to remain in
tension/compression as stress on the structure increases.
Because of these patterns, no structural members experiences a bending
moment. This can produce exceptionally rigid structures for their mass and
for the cross section of the components.

Needle Tower kenneth snelson 1968

 Characteristics of Tensegrities
• They have a higher load-bearing capacity with similar weight.
• They are light weight in comparison to other structures with similar resistance.
• They don’t need to be anchored or have to lean any surface as they don’t depend on their weight or gravity.
They are stabilized in any position by equilibrium of compressive forces in struts with tensional forces in
prestressed cables. Prestrain in the cables can be transformed into prestress only if the structure is statically
indeterminate.
• They are enantiomorphic i.e. exist as right and left-handed mirror pairs.
• Elementary tensegrity modules can be used (such as masts, grids, ropes, rings etc.) to make more complex
tensegrity structures.
• Higher the pre-stress, stiffer the structure would be, i.e. its load bearing capacity increases with the increasing
pre-stress. The degree of tension of the pre-stressed components is directly proportional to the amount of
space they occupy.
• In a tensegrity structure the compressive members are short and discontinuous, hence they do not undergo
buckling easily and no torque is generated in them.
• The resilience depends on the structure assembly and material used.
• They work synergically i.e. their behaviour cannot be predicted by considering the behaviour of any of their
components separately.
• They are sensitive to vibrations under dynamic loading. Slight change in load causes the stress to redistribute
in the whole structure within no time and thus, they have the ability to respond as a whole.
• Kenner introduced a term ‘Elastic Multiplication’ for the tensegrity structures. It is a property of tensegrity
structure which depends on the distance between two struts. If two struts are separated by a certain distance
the elongation of tendons (tensile members) attached to them is much less compared to this distance.
• The deformation response of entire tensegrity structure to load is non-linear as its stiffness increases rapidly
with increasing load, like at a suspension bridge.
• The tensegrities are commonly modelled with frictionless joints, and the self-weight of cables and struts is
neglected.
Advantages of Tensegrity over Conventional (continuous) Structures
• As the load is distributed in whole structure there are no critical points of weakness.
• They don’t suffer any kind of torsion and buckling due to space arrangement and short length of compression
members.
• Forces are transferred naturally and consequently, the members position themselves precisely by aligning
with the lines of forces transmitted in the shortest path to withstand the induced stress.
• They are able to vibrate and transfer loads very rapidly and hence, absorb shocks and seismic vibrations
which makes them applicable as sensors or actuators.
• They can be extended endlessly through adding elementary structures.
• Construction of structures using tensegrity principle makes it highly resilient and, at the same time, very
economical.
Disadvantages of Tensegrity over Conventional (continuous) Structures
• If the structure becomes too large it faces a problem of bar congestion (i.e. the struts start running into or
touching each other) [17].
• They show relatively high deflections and low material efficiency as compared to with conventional
continuous structures.
• Fabrication complexity is a major barrier in developing floating compression structures.
• Adequate design tools are not available for their design, software ‘Tensegrite 2000’ (developed by R. Motro
et al.) is the most advanced tool available to design tensegrity structures.
• At large constructions the structure cannot withstand loads higher than the critical, related to its dimensions
and prestress.
Topological classification of elementary cells of Tensegrity Structures

Rhombic configuration Circuit configuration

A rhombicuboctahedron has 8 triangular and 18 square faces. It has 24 vertices, each shared by one triangle and
three squares.
The tensegrity structure has 24 struts making 6 square circuits arranged in three pairs perpendicular to each
other and 48 tendons.
GEORGIA DOME

• Location: Georgia, USA.

• Construction: 1990 – 92
• Spanning: 233.5 m x 186 m
• Material: reinforced concrete
• It is the first Hypar-Tensegrity Dome to be built. There are
hyperbolic paraboloid fabric panels that are attached to a
cable net that is rigidized by the use of tensegrity principles.
• The top surface of the dome consists of a triangulated network of cables attached together at nodes equally
spaced along smaller and smaller meridians from the attachment points on the ring beam. In section the
structure appears like a truss in which the bottom chord is discontinuous and is replaced by a series of hoops
in plan that link bottom chord nodes.
• These tension hoops are connected to the upper cable net by compression posts and diagonal back-stay
cables. A center cable truss ties the two circular ends of the cable net together. The upper cable net is
deformed by raising the nodes of alternate meridians to achieve a hyperbolic paraboloid geometry for each of
the fabric panels.
• the roof is subject to live load, snow load, wind load, seismic load, temperature load, and loads imposed on
the continuous hoops by catwalks. In addition, the structure must be analyzed for construction loads taking
into account the erection sequence. 
SEOUL OLYMPIC GYMNASTICS HALL
• Architect: Kim swoo-geun
• Construction: 1984-86
• Structure: self-supporting "CABLE-DOME" fabric roof
• Roof span: 120 m
• The primary structural system of the Gymnastics and Fencing Hall roofs are made up of 16 radial cable truss-
like ribs. These are comprised of ridge cables, diagonal cables and compression struts. The bottoms of the
truts at a given radius are all interconnected by concentric tension hoops, which replace what would be the
bottom chords of the cable trusses.
• This creates a three dimensional cable and strut network which is extremely effective in dissipation of
localized loads. The unique aspect of the system is that it is non-triangulated in space. The structure resists a
large number of load configuration modes by virtue of its geometric rather than extensional stiffness.
MUNICH OLYMPIC STADIUM
• Location: Munich, Germany 
• Achitect: Frei otto
• Project Year: 1972
• Structure: temporary light roofing material 
• Roofing: Large sweeping canopies of acrylic glass stabilized by steel cables.
KURIPLA BRIDGE, AUSTRALIA

A cable-stay structure based on the principles of tensegrity

producing a synergy between balanced tension and compression
components to create a light structure that is incredibly strong.
Achitect: Cox rayner architects with arup
Project Year: 2009
Structure: 470 m long and 120m main span
two large viewing & relaxation platform, two rest
areas and a continuous all weather canopy.
550 tons of steel & 6.8 km. of spiral strand cable.
MONTREAL BIOSPHERE
A museum dedicated to the environment in montreal,
Canada.
Owner: environment & climate change department of
Canada
Project Year: 2009
NEEDLE TOWER

Needle tower is a public artwork by American sculptor Kenneth

Snelson which is located outside of the hirshhorn museum and
sculptor garden in Washington DC, united states.
Material: aluminum & stainless steel
Project Year: 1968
THE ESTADIO CIUDAD DE LA PLATA
The Estadio ciudad de la Plata is a multi purpose stadium
located in the city of a Plata, Argentina.
Architect: Roberto Ferria
Capacity: 53000 people
Project Year: 1968