Tensile Membranes

Tensile Membranes

As a structural system, tensile membranes possess remarkable qualities thanks to their unique forms and the inherent properties of the textile materials. Tensile structures are lightweight, with their stability relying far more on precision-engineered shapes than on the quantity of materials used.

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Transparency

Transparency is one of the most highly valued features of textile architecture, as it allows for an optimal amount of natural daylight. This plays a vital role in the efficiency of the structure, particularly when designed for commercial use. Transparency also offers exceptional aesthetic possibilities in architectural design, thanks to the creative use of both natural and artificial lighting.

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At night, the membrane’s transparency can transform the structure into a sculpture of light.

Transparency depends on the type of fibers forming the textile's structural base, as well as the coating and fabric color. Standard membranes offer transparency levels between 10% and 20%, though materials are available with up to 40% transparency, while others are completely opaque and do not let light through. The transparency level and type of lighting beneath the canopy can be adjusted by applying coatings or custom printing.

Tensioned structures are defined as "shape-retaining" or "form-found" constructions. When their shape changes, so does their load-bearing capacity. To withstand external forces such as wind and snow, membranes must feature a distinctive double-curved configuration. This form is achieved through a shape-finding process that minimizes fabric stress, starting from a specific level of pre-tensioning. The greater the double curvature of the textile, the more effective the system is in reducing internal forces.

When one thinks of a tensioned structure, the first image that often comes to mind is stretched fabric or a cable net supported by poles (masts), which serve to tension the membrane and anchor it to the foundation. In tensioned systems, nothing is extraneous or decorative — if the textile is damaged or a cable snaps, the shape changes and finds a new equilibrium. The fabric serves as both covering and structure.

By definition, a tensioned structure is an active one: the deeper the parabola of its double curvature, the lower the internal stresses within its elements (fabric, cables, mesh, etc.), and consequently, in the foundations as well.