3. Introduction
•Tensile fabric structures have been with us since the Mongolians swept down
from the plains, with their yurts as their transportable overnight
accommodation.
•There’s evidence that the Romans even covered the Colosseum with massive
canopies, hoisted by an intricate system of pulleys, to protect the audience
from the elements.
•They really came into their own in the last half of the 20th century, when designs
like this by Germany’s Frei Otto.
4. Frei Paul Otto (German:31 May 1925 – 9 March 2015) 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.
Otto won the RIBA Royal Gold Medal in 2006 and was awarded
the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2015, shortly before his death..
5. DEFINITION
A tent is a shelter, consisting of sheets of fabric or other materials draped over or attached to
a frame of poles and/or ropes . Some tents styles are free-standing, whole others are
attached to the ground using guy ropes tied to stakes (pegs). Tents were first used as
portable homes by nomadic peoples, but today, their main application is for armed forces
and creational camping Modern tents are usually made of fire-retardant material.
Notes:
Fabric structures cannot take
heavy weather conditions is an
incorrect statement.
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.
7. Saddle roof
Four or more point system when the fabric is stretched
between a set of alternating high and low points.
8. 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.
9. Arc Supported
Curved compression members are used as the main
supporting elements and cross arches are used for lateral
stability.
11. Components & Materials:
Base plate:
Connection to concrete foundation pillar
Membranes:
Forms the enclosure of the structure. Connections can be glued
or heat welded
12. 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 and easy to erect)
•Silicon glass: Higher tensile Brittle (subject to damage from
flexing 30+ year life span)
13. ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
Longer life cycles of materials. Little to no rigidity.
Materials can be re-used in form. Loss of tension is dangerous for stability.
Most materials are completely recyclable. Thermal values limit use
Less impact on site. Load Transfer on Fabric Structures
Unique designs. Attachment Weaknesses in Mono cover
Fabric Structures
Lightweight and flexible.
Less construction debris after demolition.
Environmentally sensitive.
High strength weight ratio.