MEMBRANE STRUCTURES

CAWALING
LOPEZ
DEFINITION

 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.
BENEFITS
 Membrane Structures also known as Lightweight
Structures have a unique visual character and give
designers, architects and engineers the ability to
experiment with forms full of beauty and elegance
meeting highest esthetical requirements.
 Membrane Structures are structurally optimized and
highly efficient. The enormous range of spanning
capability require less primary structure and are thus very
cost-effective. Due to these savings and other unique
properties, Membrane Structures are environmentally
sensitive and ideal for sustainable construction solutions.
BENEFITS
 Compared to traditional building, materials in these
Tensile Structures offer building owners plenty of column-
free and light-flooded space, short construction time
and fast assembly, reduced construction and
maintenance costs and very long
durability. Membranes are extremely robust, long
lasting, weather resistant, providing strength and
permanence for the material. Membranes are suitable
for all sorts of climates ranging from cold and dry to hot
and humid with a project life in some cases even
exceeding 30 years.
ADVANTAGES
 1. Flexible Design Aesthetics
Virtually unlimited designs of distinctive elegant forms can be
realized because of the unique flexible characteristics of
architectural membrane. Also, fewer support columns create
more functional, aesthetically pleasing spaces.
 2. Outstanding Translucency
In daylight, the membrane's translucency offers soft diffused
naturally lit spaces reducing interior lighting costs. At night, the
artificial lighting creates an ambient exterior luminescence.
 3. Shortened Construction Schedules
Incorporating the most modern construction techniques,
large fabricated membrane panels can be installed quickly to
shorten installation schedules. Likewise, fabric removal can be
accomplished easily.
ADVANTAGES
 4. Cost Benefits
Lightweight structures can be a more cost effective solution
than traditional building materials offering building owners
reduced costs. Materials, such as photo-catalytic membranes,
can help prevent temperature rise as well as reduce
maintenance costs due to their self-cleaning properties.
 5. Long Span Structures
Lightweight membrane is a cost-effective solution that
requires less structural steel to support the roof, enabling long
spans of column-free space.
 6. Earthquake Resistant
Lightweight tensile membrane structures bear less building
load than traditional roofing materials and the membrane's
elasticity offers further earthquake resistance.
PROPERTIES
 environmental friendly, most materials are recyclable
 high reflective surface
 low absorption of sunlight
 high light transmittance rate (translucent or even transparent)
 use of natural daylight instead of cost intensive electrical light
 multi-layer constructions increase thermal insulation properties
 lightweight
 self-cleaning
 UV stable
 full range of colours available
 printable
 long-term stable
PROPERTIES
 environmental friendly, most materials are recyclable
 high reflective surface
 low absorption of sunlight
 high light transmittance rate (translucent or even transparent)
 use of natural daylight instead of cost intensive electrical light
 multi-layer constructions increase thermal insulation properties
 lightweight
 self-cleaning
 UV stable
 full range of colours available
 printable
 long-term stable
APPLICATIONS
 Membrane structures are lightweight spatial structures
made of tensioned membranes. Membrane can be
used to construct roofs and façades, free-
standing buildings, building envelopes, skylights,
indoor ceilings and/or accent enclosures.

 Lightweight structures are ideal for use in building types

in the areas of infrastructure, culture, sports and
entertainment, commerce, office, living and private use.
There are no limits to application, design and
functionality.
MEMBRANE MATERIALS
CLASSES OF SURFACE TREATMENT

 Class A: high strength fiber fabric as base material of PTFE

coating, referred to as the (permanent) membrane material;
 Class B: high-strength fabric as base material PVDF coating;
 Class C: is based on the material of polyester (pet) fabric coated
PVC.
TYPES OF COATING MATERIAL

 Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)
 Poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)
 Polyvinyl fluoride (PVF)
 Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
 Polyurethane (PU)
 Rubber etc.
PRINCIPLES
 Tensioned Structures are curved between supporting elements in
a manner reflective of the flow of tension forces within the
membrane.
 These curvatures are anticlastic in nature as Membrane Material
can only be subjected to tensile forces, not pressure. In order to
provide stability to a Membrane Structure, the anticlastic
curvature is imperative.
 The anticlastic deformation in conjunction with a mechanically
applied pre-tension leads to a stiffening of the surface and thus
to the desired and statically calculable stiffness. The greater the
deformation, the lower are the applied pre-load
 forces, which ultimately result from the external load of wind
and snow in the context of the static calculation.
Below this load bearing principal illustrated
by Friedemann Kugel in the brochure
"Arbeitskreis Textile Architektur":

The single load of a

brick causes a kink of the
rope at the suspension
point,
several bricks cause a polygon - which merges
with continuous direct load into a continuous
curvature (chain line).
upward directed loads transform the rope into
an upward-facing rope accordingly
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 behaviour.
TYPES
The variety of forms of Membrane Structures is endless. In principle, the
membrane structures can be divided into two main different types:

TENT STRUCTURES PNEUMATIC STRUCTURES

TENT STRUCTURES
 Tent, 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.
 Tents have also been the dwelling places of most of the nomadic
peoples of the world, from ancient civilizations such as the Assyrian
to the 20th-century Bedouins of North Africa and the Middle East.
 American Indians developed two types of tent, the conical tepee
and the arched wickiup, the latter constructed of thin branches or
poles covered with bark or animal hides.
TENT STRUCTURES
 The simplest form of tent is an extremely portable type carried by
individual soldiers in the field. When erected, it consists of a low
pyramid, formed by a short, diagonally set pole at either end
supporting two lengths of cloth joined together at the top and
pegged into the ground at the bottom. This is a primitive form of the
popular pyramidal A-shaped tent.
 A long-common tent, the conical bell tent, has a single large
vertical pole at its centre and is circular at ground level. The tepee
(q.v.) is a variant of this design.
TENT STRUCTURES
 Other kinds of tent include the wall tent, an A-shaped tent
raised to accommodate straight, vertical walls beneath the
slope of the pyramid; the Baker tent, which is a rectangular
fabric lean-to with an open front protected by a projecting
horizontal flap; the umbrella tent, which was originally made
with internal supporting arms like an umbrella but which later
became widely popular with external framing of hollow
aluminum; and the cabin tent, resembling a wall tent with
walls four to six feet high.
 Special tent designs include mountain tents, which are
designed compactly for use in conditions of extreme cold
and heavy snow, and back-packing tents, which use
extremely lightweight synthetic fabrics and lightweight metal
poles. “Pop” tents are designed with spring-loaded frames
that erect the tent automatically when released; these are
usually hemispheric in shape.
PNEUMATIC STRUCTURES
 Pneumatic structure, Membrane structure that is
stabilized by the pressure of compressed air. Air-
supported structures are supported by internal air
pressure.
 A network of cables stiffens the fabric, and the assembly
is supported by a rigid ring at the edge. The air pressure
within this bubble is increased slightly above normal
atmospheric pressure and maintained by compressors or
fans.
PNEUMATIC STRUCTURES
 Air locks are required at entrances to prevent loss of
internal air pressure. Air-supported membranes were first
devised by Walter Bird in the late 1940s and were soon
put to use as covers for swimming pools, temporary
warehouses, and exhibition buildings.
 Air-inflated structures are supported by pressurized air
within inflated building elements that are shaped to
carry loads in a traditional manner. Pneumatic structures
are perhaps the most cost-effective type of building for
very long spans.
PNEUMATIC STRUCTURES
EXAMPLES
DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Denver, Colorado, United States
1995
DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Denver, Colorado, United States
1995

Terminal area: 2,000,000 sf

DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
 When the City of Denver handed Fentress the project, the airport
was behind schedule, over budget and had an unfavorable design.
Given a deadline of only three weeks to propose a new concept,
Curtis Fentress worked tirelessly to design an innovative solution for
Denver’s passenger terminal that was more affordable, faster to
build, and most notably, an iconic design. The city wanted a symbol
as much as a gateway, a building as visually memorable as it was
functional.
 Fentress’ design broke through the ceiling of a thirty-five year period
in which airports had devolved into “people processors,” with
cramped maze-like corridors and dingy fluorescent-lit interiors. The
established “warehouse” design approach trended away from
passengers’ needs. Having researched airport design for his masters
thesis, Curtis Fentress, a protégé of I.M. Pei and the head of his own
established firm, vowed to change this trend.
DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
 The terminal’s peaked roof has become well-known and admired
by travelers worldwide. A public survey by the American Institute of
Architects ranked the terminal as #4 on its list of “Favorite American
Architecture” landmarks. Business Traveler magazine readers voted
Denver the “Best Airport in North America” for four years in a row,
2005-06-07-08.
 Denver International Airport’s transformational approach launched
Fentress into the international arena of airport design. His airport
terminals are known for being intuitive in navigation, streamlined,
calming and outright beautiful—truly memorable. Over two
decades of experience designing USD$13.5 billion and 4.8 million
square meters of airport space, along with a reputation for
excellence, have positioned Fentress Architects as a global leader
in innovative and sustainable airport design.
MILLENNIUM DOME
Greenwich, London, United Kingdom
MILLENNIUM DOME
Greenwich, London, United Kingdom

 Millennium Dome, official name The O2, massive construction

project and tourist attraction in Greenwich, London, England. It was
initiated to house an exhibition for the approach of the 21st century
and the 3rd millennium CE (the official start of which was January 1,
2001).
 The central structure is the largest dome in the world, with nearly
twice the area of the former record holder, the Georgia Dome (in
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.). Its building site skirts the prime meridian (0°
longitude) along the River Thames at the northern end of the
Greenwich Peninsula.
 A national exhibition for the millennium was first proposed in 1994.
MILLENNIUM DOME
Greenwich, London, United Kingdom

 The foundation, main supports, and Teflon-coated roof of the

dome, which were completed in mid-1998, create an interior floor
area of more than 861,000 square feet (80,000 square metres). The
roof measures 1,050 feet (320 metres) in diameter, with a total
extension of some 969,000 square feet (90,000 square metres), and
reaches a maximum height of approximately 165 feet (50 metres).
 The Millennium Dome has been a controversial project since its
inception, owing not only to its enormous cost but also to
uncertainties regarding projected attendance rates, the amount
and nature of corporate sponsorship, and the educational value of
its attractions, which were organized into numerous zones such as
Body, Work, Money, Play, Talk, and Rest.
END