All categories
Leader: Carol Monticelli
Mission: The aim of this WG is going to review the current status on membrane materials and typical membrane structures with regard to sustainability, comfort and LCA issues, that can be used as a key evaluation criterion in the objectification of the discussion on membrane materials. This state of the art systematic collection aims to demonstrate the advantages of the Life Cycle Design strategy answering to the environmental sustainability, in the case of ultra-lightweight structures.
During TENSINANTES2023 one of the main topics was dedicated to STRUCTURAL MEMBRANE: an answer to issues of the 21st century with a focus on lightweight design, well-being, environmental impact, energy and acoustic performance, life cycle of materials and structures, end of life of membrane structures. The keynote lecture “The Pathways to Zero Carbon for Tensioned Membrane Architecture: ongoing actions and next steps” by Bruce Danziger and Carol Monticelli has been further discussed in the WG sustainability & comfort meeting.
The WG sustainability & comfort meeting focused on the consultation on Product Category Rule of Structural membranes (coated technical textiles, technical textiles and foils) under development and on the PFAS restrictions for Fluoropolymers materials: in both cases, the opinions of participants and the good and productive discussion demonstrated that now is the time to shift to new approaches based on lifecycle thinking and environmental impacts.
The Product Category Rules Part B: Requirements on the EPD for structural membranes (fabrics, coated fabrics and foils) was submitted to IBU (Institut Bauen und Umwelt) for revision on behalf of the TensiNet Association on 15 February 2023 and was published on 5 January 2024! Please find the link to this PCR.
Not yet active in this WG and interested to join? Send an email to info@tensinet.com
STATEMENT PFAS restriction
The per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) restriction proposal was pre-published on the ECHA (European Chemical Agency) portal on 7 February 2023.
https://echa.europa.eu/-/echa-publishes-pfas-restriction-proposal
This so-called Universal PFAS Restriction would prohibit the manufacture, use and placing on the market of around 10 000 PFAS, including fluoropolymers, F-gases and C6 fluorotelomers.
The TensiNet Association, promoting the quality of tensile surface structures since 2000, formulates the following statement with respect to the PFAS restriction proposal:
For more than half a century, structural membranes, including PTFE-coated glass fabric, PVC-coated polyester fabric, ETFE-foils, and other variants, have found widespread use. These Fluoropolymers are classified as Polymers of Low Concern (PLC).
Unfortunately, there is currently no alternative material with comparable performance in terms of longevity, durability, strength, and fire-resistance, and the consequences of the PFAS restriction for the tensile surface structures sector (membrane structures sector) would have a non-compensatable negative impact.
Given that tensile surface structures occupy a specialised niche, it is needed to group effort to ensure an effective communication. The TensiNet Association wants also to speak for modest companies, engineers, architects, and other stakeholders.
If you share this point of view, we cordially invite you to support the petition, thereby helping to preserve the future of membrane structure. It was possible to sign the online petition until 15.09.2023.
Document for the WG Sustainability and Comfort - including information on PFAS restrictions
Information for designing and applying Tensile Surface Structures
The International Association for Shell and Spatial structures (IASS), founded by Eduardo Torroja in 1959, has as its goal the achievement of further progress through an interchange of ideas among all those interested in lightweight structural systems such as lattice, tension, membrane, and shell structures.
IASS organises annual it international symposium on themes of general interest to engineers, architects and builders.
The Working Group 6 on Tension and Membrane Structures is chaired by Ken'ichi Kawaguchi (Chair) and Marijke Mollaert (Co-Chair).
Announcement:
The theme of the IASS 2023 symposium was Integration of Design and Fabrication, which is becoming increasingly important with the developments of digital technologies in both design and manufacturing. The symposium covers all aspects related to material, design, computation, construction, maintenance, history, environmental impact and sustainability of shell and spatial structures in all fields of application.
The symposium was held at Melbourne, from 10th till 14th July.
Reports (published in the TensiNews):
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BELTS in textile Architecture. |
Rosemarie Wagner |
Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) Institut für Entwerfen und Bautechnik, Germany |
TensiNews 22 (2012) |
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Bending-active membrane structure. |
Julian Lienhard |
Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design, University of Stuttgart, Germany |
TensiNews 22 (2012) |
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Environmental Impact of Membrane Materials and Structures. |
Jan Cremers |
Hightex GmbH, Germany Hochschule für Technik Stuttgart, Germany |
TensiNews 23 (2012) |
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Research on hybrid form- and bending-active structure systems. Textile Hybrid M1 at La Tour de l’Architecte. |
Sean Ahlquist Julian Lienhard |
Institute for Computational Design (ICD), Germany Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE), Germany |
TensiNews 24 (2013) |
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The Wind Response on Horn-shaped Membrane Roof and Proposal of Gust Effect Factor for Membrane Structures. |
Yuki Nagai |
Sasaki Structural Consultants |
TensiNews 24 (2013) |
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S(P)EEDKITS. Disaster shelter ‘clever roof’. |
Jan Roekens, Marijke Mollaert Vincent Virgo |
Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium Red Cross, Luxemburg |
TensiNews 26 (2014) |
|
From membrane form to rigid shell. |
Henning Duerr |
IMS e.V. (Institute for Membrane and Shell Technologies, Building and Real Estate), Germany Institute at Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, Germany |
TensiNews 27 (2014) |
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MULTITEXCO. High performance smart multifunctional technical textiles for the construction sector. |
Pieter Heyse, Guy Buyle Paolo Beccarelli |
Centexbel Maco Technology srl |
TensiNews 30 (2016) |
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Project S(P)EEDKITS |
Guy Buyle, Ine De Vilder, Pieter Heyse Marijke Mollaert, Jan Roekens, Jimmy Colliers, Lars De Laet, Evi Corne Alessandra Zanelli, Salvatore Viscuso, Marta Barozzi Vincent Virgo Bert Groenendaal |
Centexbel Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium Politecnico di Milano, Italy Red Cross, Luxemburg Sioen, Belgium |
TensiNews 30 (2016) |
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Conceptual smart textile and bending-active architectural module. The case of Paços dos Duques de Bragança |
Luani Costa, Raul Fangueiro, Luís F. Ramos |
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minho, Guimarães, Portugal |
TensiNews 32 (2017) |
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Integrated sensors for the detection of ammonia and hydrogensulfide in biogas plants. |
Paolo Beccarelli |
Maco Technology srl |
TensiNews 32 (2017) |
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KINEMATIC FORM-ACTIVE STRUCTURES FOR ARCHITECTURAL APPLICATIONS. Design, Analysis and Experimental Verification |
Silke Puystiens |
Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium |
TensiNews 33 (2017) |
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SHELTAIR PAVILION at Aedes Metropolitan Laboratory in Berlin |
Gregory Quinn |
Universität der Künste Berlin, Germany |
TensiNews 34 (2018) |
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BACTERIAL CELLULOSE BIOFILMS. A possibility for architectural membrane applications? |
Bastien Damsin, Elise Vanden Elsacker, Marijke Mollaert |
Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium |
TensiNews 37 (2019) |
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grINdoor. A college on the roof. The light house for students and plants! |
Giulia Procaccini |
Politecnico di Milano |
TensiNews 39 (2020) |
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BeTA PAVILION. CNC Knitted Textile Performance for a Bending-Active Biotensegrity Assembly |
Rui Liu, Diane Davis-Sikora Linda Ohrn-McDaniel Christian Carloni |
College of Architecture and Environmental Design, Kent State University School of Fashion, Kent State University School of Engineering, Case Western Reserve University |
TensiNews 40 (2021) |
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FIRE SAFETY PERFORMANCE OF MEMBRANE STRUCTURES. ETFE in particular |
Carl Maywald |
Vector Foiltec |
TensiNews 40 (2021) |
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Structural Behaviour of Bending Active Structures. THE IMPACT OF LOAD DISTRIBUTION, GEOMETRY, TEMPERATURE AND WIND LOADS ON THE STRUCTURAL PERFORMANCE |
Mohammadmahdi Barari Reshtehroudi |
Nottingham University |
TensiNews 41 (2021) |
|
THE SUSTAINABILITY OF TENSILE SURFACE STRUCTURES |
Marijke Mollaert, Lars De Laet, Zehra Eryuruk |
Vrije Universiteit Brussel |
TensiNews 42 (2022) |
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Digital Modelling Analysis and Fabrication of Deployable Structures for Kinetic Architectur |
Daniel Gómez Lizcano |
Universidad de la Costa, Barranquilla, Colombia |
TensiNews 43 (2022) |
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FLOATING MEMBRANE ROOF for large zootechnic and industrial storage tanks |
Paolo Beccarelli |
University of Nottingham |
TensiNews 44 (2023) |
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CANOPY WOLKE MARIENFELD. Comparing the environmental performance of a short use, a reusable and a permanent membrane structure |
Zehra Eyruruk, Lars De Laet, Marijke Mollaert, Danny Van Hemelrijck, |
Vrije Universiteit Brussel |
TensiNews 44 (2023) |
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MEMBRANE COVERS OF BIOGAS STORAGE SYSTEMS |
Rosemarie Wagner |
Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) Institut für Entwerfen und Bautechnik |
TensiNews 45 (2023) |
Textile Roofs is scientifically organised by KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) and is an event of AcaMem (Berlin Academy of Architectural Membrane Structures) operated by academus GmbH as promoter for educational events in the field of Membrane Architecture. The International Workshop on the Design and Practical Realization of Architectural Membrane Structures is organised every year.
The 26th International Workshop on the Design and Practical Realization of Architectural Membrane Structures is shifted towards 28-30 april 2024.
More info on https://www.textile-roofs.com/
Announcement
Reports
