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Membranes for Structures

Applications

  • 1st Edition - September 12, 2025
  • Latest edition
  • Editor: Josep Ignasi de Llorens
  • Language: English

A growing use of membranes for construction purposes has recently been encouraged by their environmentally friendly characteristics. To offer a timely and extensive, re… Read more

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Description

A growing use of membranes for construction purposes has recently been encouraged by their environmentally friendly characteristics. To offer a timely and extensive, research-grounded compendium on structures made with fabrics and foils, the most relevant facets of the state of the art are covered in two sister titles.

Membranes for Structures — Applications is steeped in fascinating, functional examples: in fact, a selection of detailed case studies is presented in Part One, preceded by the description of two relevant historical antecedents, which are the circus tent and the “envelat”. The particular case of the successful spoked wheel structural system for the construction of large stadiums is the subject of Part Two, including descriptions of four significant case studies. Two growing fields of application are the focus of Part Three, which is dedicated to façades that give buildings a unique appearance, and Part Five, which addresses replacements, renovations, and refurbishments—activities that are frequently encountered in today’s construction industry. And Part Four presents the latest application developments in different countries across the globe, with achievements in China, Latin and North America, Japan, and Europe being highlighted.

The well-amalgamated contributions, authored by international experts, produce a comprehensive reference to keep students and researchers as well as industry professionals and various other stakeholders abreast with the latest advancements.

Key features

  • Incorporates recent developments that are poorly documented in other literature available
  • Describes functional, structural, and decorative applications of membranes in buildings and includes various relevant case studies from around the world
  • Published alongside its sister title, Membranes for Structures — Fundamentals (ISBN: 9780443224072)

Readership

Academics, researchers, and postgraduate students in architectural engineering (i.e., archineers) and architecture, innovative building materials, civil engineering, structural engineering, infrastructure engineering, heritage conservation. Practitioners in civil, structural, and infrastructure engineering, designers and architects, conservation scientists, advanced materials research, design, and manufacturing laboratories, urban planners, other industry or government stakeholders focusing on sustainable, energy-efficient built environment development.

Table of contents

PART I: Case studies

1. Antecedents: The circus tent and the “envelat”

2. Puerto Madero bus station

3. Large-scale inflatable hangars

4. Desert City

5. Design for urban infrastructure: Bus stations, tram stations, transfer hubs

6. Tensile membrane structure for the Koerich Castle

7. Oxígeno – Costa Rica

8. ETFE roof Rynek Łazarski in Poznan, Poland

9. PumpItUp, gite mobile Esch-sur-Alzette

10. Tensile sculptures: Sculptures made with tensile membranes

11. Prestressed stayed masts

12. Renovation of Le Polygone Shopping Center Roof, Montpellier

13. Suzhou Kunshan Football Stadium

PART II: Spoked wheels

14. From the Colosseo to the Stadio Olimpico, Roma

15. Haikou Wuyuan River Sports Park Arena

16. Suzhou Olympic Sport Center Arena

PART III: Façades

17. Textilakademie M€onchengladbach

18. Cuauhtémoc Stadium façade

19. EPIZEN shopping center textile façade

PART IV: Recent developments 2015-2023

20. Developments in China

21. Developments in Latin America

22. Developments in North America

23. Developments in Japan

24. Developments in Europe

25. Journey of tensile membrane architecture and structures in India, 1990-2025

PART V: Replacements

26. Valorization of tensioned membrane structures at the end of life

27. Sustainable approach to the renovation of membrane covering: Case of Teatro Verdi in Montecatini

28. Restoration of the membrane roof over the tennis stadium at Hamburg’s Rothenbaum

29. Elspe grandstand roof

30. Movable roof Tecklenburg

31. Renewal of the suspended ceilings at the Olympic Swimming Hall and the Olympic Hall in Munich

32. Retrofitting of an ETFE roof in Verona

33. Replacement of the JMA Dome (Carrier Dome) Roof, Syracuse University, New York

34. Replacement of the air-supported fabric membrane roof of BC Place

Product details

  • Edition: 1
  • Latest edition
  • Published: September 12, 2025
  • Language: English

About the editor

Jd

Josep Ignasi de Llorens

Prof. Josep Ignasi de Llorens has a PhD in Architecture (1986) and has taught at the Barcelona School of Architecture. His research focuses mainly on experimental designs, particularly in the field of tensile structures and textile architecture that have received global recognition and have been presented at international conferences, publications and exhibitions. He is involved in the drafting of the Eurocode for structural membranes and regularly attends and reports on events related to this subject.
Affiliations and expertise
Professor Emeritus, Barcelona School of Architecture, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain

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