TensiNet is a multi-disciplinary association for all parties interested in tensioned membrane structures.

During the conference dinner, prizes were awarded for the best papers by young engineers. These upcoming talents will have the opportunity to develop their work further and publish it as an open-access article in the journal Steel Construction. Congratulations! Link paper

First prize

Emma de Groen | Rogier Houtman | Pauline van Dongen

The Umbra Pavilion: A lightweight shading structure composed of Heliotextile and a cable net

Runner-ups

Manuel Blum

Façade greening with stainless steel cable systems – design, technology and ecology in harmony

Mohamed Salam |Alexandra S.M. Wittmar |Jörg Uhlemann |Corina Andronescu |Natalie Stranghöner |Mathias Ulbricht

Factors affecting the all-cellulose composites (ACC) structure formation and their impact on mechanical properties and biodegradability

Siman Zhang | Alessandra Zanelli

Photovoltaic-Integrated Textiles in Buildings: Materials, Integration Strategies and Applications

The TensiNet - EMS symposium in Essen had an amazing atmosphere that was both collegial and constructive.

Networking at its best.

There were high-quality presentations on a range of topics, from projects and renovations to innovations and prototypes.

There were lessons learnt and questions about what needs to be solved.

Many thanks to Natalie Stranghöner, Jörg Uhlemann and Evi Corne!

The conference proceedings are available online via ce/papers. You can access the official Wiley issue: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/25097075/2026/9/4-5 or the University of Duisburg-Essen’s internal sharing platform, where all full papers and abstracts included in the proceedings can be downloaded directly: https://uni-duisburg-essen.sciebo.de/s/QXsPHPDTeKKyH9i. We hope that the proceedings will provide a useful reference to the presentations and discussions of the symposium.

From 14 till 18 September 2026 the IASS-IWSS symposium took place in Torino, https://www.iass-iwss2026.org/. 

There was an interesting keynote lecture TRANSFORMATIVE ARCHITECTURE by Yuko Nagayama 

“The structural materials and membrane from the facade of the Japan Pavilion at the Dubai Expo were reused for the Women’s Pavilion in collaboration with Cartier at the Osaka-Kansai Expo.  They will be further reused for GREEN × EXPO 2027 in Yokohama.  Throughout this process, these materials have been repurposed at each location to fit the site layout, scale, and intended use.  I call this ongoing initiative ‘Transformative Architecture’ ...  Additionally, I would like to talk about architecture using membrane materials, which enables lightweight structures that can be dismantled and relocated. This is another form of ‘Transformative Architecture’.  Through these examples, I hope to share a new vision for architecture made possible by these structural systems and materials.”  

For more information on this project, see TensiNet DATABASE - link

About the Speaker Born in 1975, Yuko Nagayama established Yuko Nagayama & Associates in 2002 after working at Jun Aoki & Associates. Her representative works include Teshima Yokoo House, the Japan Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, Tokyu Kabukicho Tower, and two pavilions for Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai — the Women’s Pavilion in collaboration with Cartier and the Panasonic Group Pavilion “The Land of NOMO”. Her awards include the JIA Young Architect Award (2014), Yamanashi Cultural Prize of Architecture (2017), Tokyo Architecture Award Excellent Award (2018), Design Award for Light and Lighting Grand Prize (2021), World Architecture Festival Highly Commended (2022), Two-time iF Design Award Winner (2023: JINS PARK Maebashi, 2026: AOI CELESTIE COFFEE ROASTERY), and the 76th MEXT Art Encouragement Newcomer Prize. Her current projects include the TOKYO TORCH Torch Tower. 

The ecological transition demands new ways of designing with less material, lower environmental impact and greater adaptability.

Textile architecture and tensile structures embody this vision, combining lightness, efficiency and innovation to create sustainable building systems.

Find the announcement for the forthcoming edition of Tens.Art, the II-Level Postgraduate Master organised by TextilesHUB Laboratory at Politecnico di Milano, Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering (DABC), with the patronage of the TensiNet Association.

Tens.Art is an advanced educational programme dedicated to tensioned structures, lightweight architecture, textile materials and innovative building-envelope systems. It offers an interdisciplinary perspective that brings together architectural design, structural engineering, material technologies, digital tools, environmental sustainability and the practical experience of leading professionals and companies in the sector.

The Master is intended for graduates and professionals in architecture, engineering, design and related disciplines who wish to develop specialised knowledge and skills in a rapidly evolving international field. Through lectures, workshops, case studies and direct engagement with experts, participants will explore both the cultural and technical dimensions of textile and membrane architecture.

Share this opportunity widely within your professional and academic networks, and with students, graduates, colleagues and practitioners who may be interested in participating.

Further information on the programme, expression of interest and registration procedure is available here (https://www.polimi.it/formazione/formazione-oltre-la-laurea/master-universitari-e-corsi-post-laurea/dettaglio-master/3266). 

Link flyer

tensart-dabc@cise-polimi.it

POLITECNICO MILANO - DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE,
BUILT ENVIRONMENT, AND CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING

Enjoy the latest TensiNews 51 - link

for members (login) - link

Textile Roofs 2027 workshop and their partners announce a student competition focused on membrane design and textile architecture. The competition is open for Bachelor and Master students in arts, architecture, engineering and building sciences.

See link 

TensiNet members pay a reduced registration fee of 20% off (€616 instead of €770). In addition, a limited number of bachelor's and master's students can attend the lectures free of charge. Registration includes participation in the three-day symposium, coffee breaks and lunches, the welcome reception, a museum visit to Zeche Zollverein and the conference dinner in the magnificent Erich-Brost-Pavillon! Zollverein is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Ruhr region. More than 25 years after its closure, what was once Europe’s largest coal mine combines culture and gastronomy, design and architecture, craftsmanship and the creative industries.

Link website: https://www.uni-due.de/iml/tensinet-ems2026.php

Register with a few clicks  https://www.conftool.com/tensinet-ems-symp26/index.php?page=login

3 main topics – 8 keynote presentations – 52 presentations – 3 social events – 2 technical visits

Day-by-Day Overview of Full Symposium Activities (version 2026.08.06)

Wednesday, September 30th

Thursday, October 1st

Friday, October 2nd

Leading tensile engineering specialist Tensys announced yesterday their merger with structural engineering powerhouse sbp in an exciting new journey. Tensys will continue to operate under its own name from its two studios in Bath and Melbourne, while joining the wider sbp team.

Marrying Tensys’ world-renowned specialist expertise and knowledge in lightweight tensile structures, with sbp’s broad international network and distinguished global reputation in stadium and long span building projects will establish an outstanding offering for international clients. It will secure a geographic and knowledge network spanning the globe, supercharging the firms’ offerings in the field.

This bold strategic move is driven by Tensys and sbp’s longstanding values-based friendship and collaboration, shared commitment to clients and culture of innovation

Their joint vision for the future and deep pool of talent will bolster the firm’s ability to deliver world-leading projects.

https://www.tensys.com/

https://www.sbp.de/en/

Photo: Deutsche Bank Park © Heiner Leiska

TENSINEWS 51 - CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS DEADLINE 22.07.2026 

You can already submit for the next TensiNews 51 issue an article, project description, upcoming event, new development, research report or book review. For this edition, we would also like to set aside a special section to showcase student work produced at our member universities: workshop outcomes, models, prototypes, and so forth.

Send your contribution to evi.corne@vub.be. Please follow these simple rules:

• The text should be written in English, submitted in Word-format
• Images are to be sent separately, with a resolution of 300dpi in .jpg-format (For easy reference during the layout process, it can be useful to include a copy of the pictures in the text file as well).
• For research articles the maximum word amount is set to 5000 words (equivalent of four pages in TensiNews layout).
• Project descriptions need to be accompanied by full contact details of the author, and other information such as architect, contractor, approx. span, height, membrane material, etc. This facilitates the inclusion of the project in the online database. (See below)

Name of the project:

Location address:

Client (investor):

Function of building:

Type of application of the membrane:

Year of construction:

Architects:

Multi-disciplinary engineering:

Structural engineers:

Consulting engineer for the membrane:

Engineering of the controlling mechanism:

Main contractor:

Contractor for the membrane (Tensile membrane contractor):

Supplier of the membrane material:

Manufacture and installation:

Material:

Covered surface (roofed area):

8^th TensiNet Symposium 2026 & 7^th Essener Membranbau Symposium 2026 SHAPING THE PATHWAY TO FUTURE TENSIONED MEMBRANE DESIGN 30 September – 2 October 2026, University of Duisburg Essen, Campus Essen

The symposium is hosted by the Institute for Metal and Lightweight Structures, University of Duisburg Essen, campus Essen. The symposium is dedicated to the latest developments in tensile architecture and membrane structures. The main topics are 1/ Design, Modelling and simulation of structural membranes; 2/ Materials and executions and 3/ Sustainability and building physics.

The symposium will take place after the summer, so the organising committee is in full preparation mode. Papers have been reviewed by the scientific committee. In addition to a whole series of paper presentations, a number of interesting speakers have been invited to give a keynote presentation:

• Roberto Canobbio (Canobbio Textile Engineering – Italy) La mia vita, una passione per le membrane (My life, a passion for membranes)
• Marc Gabriel (Werner Sobek AG – Germany) Shading of places
• Abigail Matthews (Momentum Engineering – UK) Membranes and rapid build entertainment venues - balancing lightweight forms with acoustic requirements
• Christoph Paech (schlaich bergermann partner – Germany) Durability assessment and enhancement of membrane structures
• Farid Sahnoune (Serge Ferrari Group – France) Fire safety of textiles
• Bernd Stimpfle (formTL – Germany) Membranes refreshed
• Alessandra Zanelli (Politecnico di Milano – Italy) Membrane as sunlight controller: The crucial role of textile architecture in cultural heritage protection
• Natalie Stranghöner & Dr. Jörg Uhlemann (Universität Duisburg-Essen – Germany) Advancements in testing, modelling and standardization of structural membrane

Below is a preliminary programme. A more detailed programme will follow shortly.

Registration. Benefit from a lower registration fee by registering before 30^th June.

More information on the event, see https://www.uni-due.de/iml/tensinet-ems2026.php#

We look forward to seeing many of you at Essen University for an interesting edition of the symposium 2026 SHAPING THE PATHWAY TO FUTURE TENSIONED MEMBRANE DESIGN!

Universität Duisburg-Essen                                                                  

Prof. Dr. Natalie Stranghöner                                                                   

Dr. Jörg Uhlemann                                                                                     

Dominik Runge                                                                                          

Stefanie Schülpen

Felix Surholt

André Westerhoff

TensiNet Association

Evi Corne

Prof. Dr. Marijke Mollaert

Bernd Stimpfle