Membrane structure

Water Cube in Beijing Membrane structures with 100 tons ETFE-Foil

Membrane structures are one sort of spatial structures made of tensioned membranes.The common membranes include fabrics such as PVC coated polyester fabric, translucent Polyethylene Fabrics, PVC coated glass fiber fabric and PTFE coated glass fiber fabric; foils like ETFE foil and PVC foil. According to different form-finding methods they can be divide into pneumatic structure, tensile membrane structure, cable dome.In these three kinds of membrane structures membranes work together with cables, columns and other construction members to find a form. There are also some constructions built with membrane, but it doesn't contribute to supporting the framework, such as the Beijing National Stadium. In this building the PTFE coated glass fiber fabric and ETFE foil are only filled into the space between large steel structures to build the large roof and facade. Membrane Structures are also referred to as tension fabric building. Another building beside it--Beijing National Aquatics Center--"Water cube" can be seen as one pneumatic membrane structure made of ETFE foil.

Literature

• ETFE, Technology and Design, Annette LeCuyer, Verlag Birkhäuser, ISBN 978-3-7643-8563-7
• Membrane Structures, Hrsg. Klaus-Michael Koch, Verlag Prestel, ISBN 978-3-7913-3049-5

See also

• Tensile structure

External links

• Tensileworld