Tensile architecture is a relatively new field of architecture devoted to lightweight membrane structures. Composed primarily of fabric tent-like structures, this form of architecture is well suited for sheltering large areas, such as stadiums, arenas, outdoor shelters, and airport terminals. Since the 1960s, tensile structures have been championed by designers and engineers such as Frei Otto, the duo of Nicholas Goldsmith & Todd Dalland at FTL Design & Engineering Studio , Horst Berger, and David Geiger .

Notable Projects

• Columbus Center, Baltimore, Maryland
• Denver International Airport, Denver Colorado
• Pier6 Music Pavilion, Baltimore, Maryland
• Carlos Moseley Music Pavilion, New York, NY
• Finnish Chancery, Washington, DC
• National Symphony Orchestra, Washington, DC

See Also

• Tensegrity
• minimal surfaces

Further Reading

• Horst Berger, Light structures, structures of light: The art and engineering of tensile architecture (Birkhäuser Verlag, 1996) ISBN 376435352
• Alan Holgate, The Art of Structural Engineering: The Work of Jorg Schlaich and his Team (Books Britain, 1996) ISBN 3930698676

External Links

• Institute for Lightweight Structures, Stuttgart, Germany
• International Association for Shell and Spacial Structures
• Working Group for Textile Architecture
• architecture, tent roofs, and minimal surfaces