Interview Javier Tejera BAT SPAIN on TV
Structural Membranes 2025
XII International Conference on Textile Composites and Inflatable Structures
The main objective of Structural Membranes 2025 is to collect and disseminate state-of-the-art research and technology for design, analysis, construction and maintenance of textile, tensile and inflatable structures. Contributions on other lightweight structural systems are also very welcome. The conference will address all aspects related to design, analysis, planning, manufacturing, testing, construction and maintenance of tensile structures. Contributions including advances in materials, life-cycle analysis, environmental conditions, monitoring and applications of machine learning and artificial intelligence are encouraged.
Structural Membranes 2025 aims to be a forum of experts of all different fields related to tensile and lightweight structures for discussing recent progress and identifying future research directions within a relaxed environment.
IASS 2024 symposium (26-30.08.2024) REDEFINING THE ART OF STRUCTURAL DESIGN – call for abstracts, deadline 31.12.2023
Next summer IASS 2024 REDEFINING THE ART OF STRUCTURAL DESIGN is hosted by the National Centre of Competence in Research Digital Fabrication (NCCR DFAB) at the Institute of Technology in Architecture (ITA) of ETH Zurich. The NCCR DFAB is Switzerland’s initiative to lead the development and integration of digital technologies within the fields of architecture and construction.
The conference chairs are Philippe Block, Jacqueline Pauli, Catherine De Wolf and Walter Kaufmann. The Block Research Group at ETH Zurich recently became a university member of TensiNet. In the video you can get to know the chairs and get an impression of the beautiful city of Zurich in Switzerland. IASS has several Working Groups of which WG6 “Tension and Membrane Structures” is chaired by Ken'ichi Kawaguchi and Marijke Mollaert.
We encourage you to write an abstract about an interesting project, research or new product. Abstracts must be submitted online by 23:59 (CEST), Sunday 31.12.2023. See link for more detailed information.
PFAS Restriction Proposal - Comments by the TensiNet Association for the Annex XV restriction report
TensiNet's response to the PFAS restriction proposal is available. Link (login)
If someone receives any information on how the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is analysing/evaluating the situation for PVDF-top-coated PVC-coated polyester membranes, PTFE-coated glass fabrics or ETFE-foils, the WG Sustainability and Comfort would be happy to be informed: carol.monticelli@polimi.it or marijke.mollaert@vub.be.
IASS 2025
IASS ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM 2025
Merging of the Living Past as a Source of Innovation
Mexico has already held two previous editions of this symposium – the first time in 1967 in Mexico City and the second time in 2008 in Acapulco, Guerrero. The third edition would be at the Palacio de Minería, located in the historic center of Mexico City.
The Palacio de Minería was built from 1797 to 1813; it is the work of the Spanish architect Manuel Tolsá, and it is considered in its genre one of the most beautiful and important buildings in America. It is currently the headquarters of the Center for Continuing Education of the Faculty of Engineering - UNAM and other societies and associations of engineers.
ORGANIZED BY:
Faculty of Architecture
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México – UNAM
Podcasts Lightweight & durable
Podcasts by Serge Ferrari Group + TensiNet
In these podcasts, you'll discover the benefits of tensile architecture, and in particular how tensile structures help to reduce the carbon footprint of construction. Our experts, world-renowned for their expertise in this field, share their thoughts on this fascinating subject. The 4 podcasts were recorded during the symposium TENSINANTES2023 at Nantes Université on Thursday 8th June 2023.
| Carbon Footprint: How lightness could be an advantage in the construction sector compared to other traditional material? Link Speakers: Bruce Danziger & Zehra Eryuruk |
| Next Generation building through Tensile Architecture. Link Speaker: Nitin Govila |
| Sustainability and comfort: How does membrane architecture fits today’s challenges in the built environment? Link Speakers: Ramon Sastre & Carol Monticelli |
| Tensioned membrane structures: The seventh building material for great construction. Link Speakers: Bernd Stimpfle & Peter Gosling |
TensiNews issue 45
Enjoy the latest TensiNews 45
TensiNews - Newsletter Nr. 45 - OCTOBER 2023 - Price 15€ (port incl.)
For non TensiNet members - link
For TensiNet members (login) - link
ANNEX 5 on design recommendations for ETFE structures - digital available for free
As TensiNet member: Please find the link to the digital copy of the ANNEX 5 on design recommendations for ETFE foil structures. Do not forget to login first.
It is still possible to order a hard copy (50€ for non TensiNet member; 25€ for TensiNet member)
TENSINANTES2023 - discover the content.
This Wednesday starts the TensiNet symposium at Nantes Université!
The papers of the presentations were collected in a digital proceeding.
Enjoy your reading E-book of the proceedings
TENSINANTES2023 from 7 till 9 June - Flyer
Within a month, we will meet at Nantes Université.
Here is the flyer. Please disseminate TENSINANTES2023 to your colleagues and friends!
TENSINANTES2023 from 7 till 9 June - 3 days programme
PROGRAMME
The three-day symposium is organised around 3 main topics including 5 keynote lectures & 47 lectures in plenary and parallel sessions.
The film “L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped” backstage-engineeringfor a work of artby büro für leichtbau, Tritthardt+Richter will be shown.
| WEDNESDAY 7TH JUNE | THURSDAY 8TH JUNE | FRIDAY 9TH JUNE |
| 08.30-09.15 Registration | 08.15-09.30 General Assembly TensiNet | |
| 09.15-09.30 Welcome & Introduction |
09.00-10.00 Keynote lecture The Pathways to Zero Carbon for Tensioned Membrane Architecture: ongoing actions and next steps Bruce Danziger and Carol Monticelliwith Beatriz Ferreyra Vargas and Nathaly Michelle Rodriguez Torres |
09.30-10.30 Keynote lecture Milestones of ETFE construction methods and starting points for further developments in membranes structures Karsten Moritz and Jean-Christophe Thomas |
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09.30-10.30 Keynote lecture Bouncing Bridge: ephemeral, autonomous and self-supporting pneumatic temporary structure Grégoire Zündel and Ramon Sastre |
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| 10.30-10.50 Coffee break | 10.00-10.20 Coffee break | 10.30-10.50 Coffee break |
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10.50-12.55 Plenary session topic 1 Advanced tools for futuristic skins – ETFE Massimo Maffeis, Antonio Diaferia, Nicola Todesco Modeling of impacts on tensile structures Adam Bown, Adrian Cabello, Artem Holstoi Porto Pi shopping center's floating pergolas Juan García-Lastra Zorrilla, Juan Rey-Rey, Alejandro Minguez PumpItUp, gite mobile for the European cultural capital Esch-sur-Alzette 2022 Bernd Stimpfle The integration of CAD and FEA for lightweight design and analysis Ann-Kathrin Goldbach, Kai-Uwe Bletzinger |
10.20-12.25 Plenary session topic 3 Lightweight ideas for a built environment beyond concrete Katja Bernert How lightweight architecture contribute to sustainability & decarbonization strategy? Thomas Bonneville 6dTEX - Sustainable Composite Structures from 3D Print on 3D Textile Claudia Lueling, Sascha Biehl, Roxana Tennert, Gözdem Dittel, Marina Chernychova, Thomas Gries Architecture for pigs Maxime Durka An innovative solar shading device for outdoor thermal comfort Adriana Angelotti, Alara Kutlu, Salvatore Viscuso, Andrea Alongi, Alessandra Zanelli |
10.50-12.55 Plenary session topic 2 Design and execution of membrane structures acc. to CEN/TS 19102 Jörg Uhlemann, Bernd Stimpfle, Natalie Stranghöner Determination of ULS values of ETFE membrane structures acc. to Eurocode using tensile strength measurements in quality control of production Torsten Balster, Carl Maywald, Lazarev Delche On the design of membrane structures with the partial safety factor concept – a parameter study on the influence of structural and probabilistic properties Martin Fueder, Max Teichgraber, Daniel Staub, Kai-Uwe Bletzinger Characterization of polyethylene structure membrane Sherryl Patton Practical application of a stress-ratio dependent adaptive material model in the structural analysis of textile structures Jörg Uhlemann, Mehran Motevalli, Natalie Stranghöner, Daniel Balzan
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| 13.00-14.00 Lunch break | 12.30-13.30 Lunch break | 13.00-14.00 Lunch break |
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14.00-16.05 Parallel session A topic 3 Integrating sustainability aspects in the teaching of lightweight structures and their comparison with common structures Heidrun Bögner-Balz, Sarah Von Der Weth, Karsten Moritz The environmental performance of membrane structures Zehra Eryuruk, Marijke Mollaert A comparative LCA between a Textile Façade Retrofit and conventional solutions Giulia Procaccini, Carol Monticelli ATLAS architectural membrane as a core element for larger and energy efficient air domes Alexandra Sonnenberg T-shade: experimental case study conducted to reuse t-shirts as a tensile-shading system Amirhossein Ahmadnia, Gergely Mátyás Jelinek Jelinek, Aina Radovan, Salvatore Viscuso, Alessandra Zanelli
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13.30-15.35 Parallel session A topic 2 Living in the 7th element: Hans-Walter Müller's pneumatics Katja Bernert Finite element modelling of inflatable beams up to the ultimate stability phase Laurent Gornet, Jean-Christophe Thomas Analytical, numerical and experimental study of inflatable panels Paul Lacorre, Anh Le van, Rabah Bouzidi, Jean-Christophe Thomas The calculation of large cable reinforced gas storage systems Jürgen Holl Textile covers of biogas storage tanks - Interaction between Membrane behavior and Operation of the Gas Membrane Rosemarie Wagner, Kai Heinlein |
14.00-15.40 Parallel session A topic 3 Suntex: weaving solar energy into building skin Rogier Houtman, Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed, Pauline van Dongen, Mariana Popescu Integration of the Fog water harvesting system in lightweight structure design for emergency camps Maria Giovanna Di Bitonto, Nathaly Michelle Rodriguez Torres, Alara Kutlu, Nicolò Elio Giorgietti, Alessandra Zanelli Challenges of measuring sound absorption of ETFE membranes in a laboratory Yannick Sluyts, Monika Rychtarikova, Christ Glorieux Greentexx: Advanced tensile architectural membranes for active and passive cooling of the outdoor & indoor environments via vertical gardens Benny Picke |
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14.00-16.05 Parallel session B topic 2 Computational design workflow for a complex cable network Jef Rombouts, Oriane Guidet, Ludovic Regnault, Klaas De Rycke Development and validation of an experimental methodology for the characterization and FEM analysis of fibre-reinforced architectural meshes Salvatore Viscuso, Carol Monticelli, Alessandra Zanelli, Alberto Fiorenzi Parametric workflow approach in membrane design, from details to construction Rémi Journo Simulation of functionally graded CNC-knitted membranes Yuliya Sinke, Martin Tamke, Mette Ramsgaard Thomsen Testing Parameters for uniaxial short-term tensile tests of ETFE foils and their connections Dominik Runge, jörg Uhlemann, Natalie Stranghöner
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13.30-15.35 Parallel session B topic 1 Affine minimal surfaces: an intuitive family of shapes for tensile architecture Cyril Douthe, Rémi Belloc, Ken'ichi Kawaguchi Value enhancement of the roof of the CC Le Polygone Montpellier Fabián Ascaso, Beatriz Arnaiz, Ramon Julián, Feike Reitsma Optimisation of tensegrity systems with tensioned fabrics Fevzi Dansik, Meltem Sahin, Caglar Samat Retractable membrane roofs as urban shading device Liu Dongyuan, Gregor Grünkorna, Julian Lienhard, Ata Chokhachian, Thomas Auer Use of Parametric Design in Design to Production Process of a Membrane Facade Milan Dragoljevic, Roberto Canobbio |
14.00-15.40 Parallel session B topic 1 Corolla, the soft-robotic coworking pod Paolo Beccarelli, Ofir Albag, Martin Huba, Roberto Maffei The Wave Pavilion from 2014 to 2023: origins, realization and reuse Mathieu Lemunier TensyDome: A pavilion combining tensegrity ring and tensile architecture Nicolas Pauli Beyond bending: tension. Membrane structures 1 Josep Ignasi de Llorens Duran |
| 16.05-16.25 Coffee break | 15.35-16.00 Coffee break | 15.40-16.00 Outlooks & Thanks |
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16.25-17.15 Parallel session A topic 1 Swatch Omega Headquaters - Multifunctional ETFE-modules in the building envelope Karsten MORITZ, Koffi Alate Temporary structure Grand Palais Éphémère Patrick Vaillant, Beatriz Arnaiz, Feike Reitsma
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16.00-17.00 Keynote lecture Textile Architecture with or versus today challenges in built environment Rosemarie Wagner |
16.00-17.30 Working Group Sustainability & Comfort Meeting with invited guest Bruce Danziger |
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16.25-17.15 Parallel session B topic 3 Comparison of PE coated PE weave to PVC coated PES weave Advancing the Design of Sustainable ETFE Membrane Structures: Insights from the Lighten Consortium Project Mohammad Hosein Nejabatmeimandi, Alessandro Comitti, Luis Seixas, Adrian Cabello, Adam Bown
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17.15-18.15 Keynote lecture Architecture in motion Louis Ratajczak
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17.00-19.00 Walk the green line. Guided walk to the venue of the Gallerie des Machines 19.00-23.00 Conference dinner at Gallerie des Machines |
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| 18.15-20.00 cocktail drink |
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Programme of TENSINANTES2023 is available!
We invite you all to come to Nantes Université and participate in the symposium Membrane architecture: the seventh established building material. Designing reliable and sustainable structures for the urban environment! All keynote lectures are confirmed. The lectures will be listed in detail soon (title of paper and author(s)).
| WEDNESDAY 7TH JUNE | THURSDAY 8TH JUNE | FRIDAY 9TH JUNE |
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08.30-09.15 Registration 09.15-09.30 Welcome & Introduction |
08.30-10.00 General Assembly TensiNet association | |
| 09.30-10.30 Keynote lecture Bouncing Bridge: ephemeral, autonomous and self-supporting pneumatic temporary structure Grégoire Zündel and Ramon Sastre | 09.00-10.00 Keynote lecture The Pathways to Zero Carbon for Tensioned Membrane Architecture: ongoing actions and next steps Bruce Danziger and Carol Monticelli | 10.00-11.00 Keynote lecture Milestones of ETFE construction methods and starting points for further developments Karsten Moritz and Jean-Christophe Thomas |
| 10.30-10.50 Coffee break | 10.00-10.20 Coffee break | 11.00-11.20 Coffee break |
| 10.50-12.55 Lectures | 10.20-12.25 Lectures | 11.20-13.00 Lectures |
| 13.00-14.00 Lunch break | 12.30-13.30 Lunch break | 13.00-14.00 Lunch break |
| 14.00-16.05 Lectures | 13.30-15.35 Lectures | 14.00-15.40 Lectures |
| 16.05-16.25 Coffee break | 15.40-16.00 Coffee break | 15.40-16.00 Outlooks & Thanks |
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16.25-17.05 Lectures |
16.00-17.00 Keynote lecture Textile Architecture with or versus today challenges in built environment Rosemarie Wagner | 16.00-17.30 Working Group Sustainability & Comfort Meeting with invited guest Bruce Danziger |
| 17.05-18.05 Keynote lecture Architecture in motion Louis Ratajczak |
17.00-19.00 Walk the green line. Guided walkto the venue of the Gallerie des Machines 19.00-23.00 Conference dinner at Gallerie des Machines |
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| 18.05-20.00 Cocktail drink |
Prospect for European Guidance for the Structural design of Tensile Membrane Structures is online!
The new report is online! Within CEN/TC 250/WG 5, CEN/TC 248/WG 4, the TensiNet Association and COST Action TU1303, an international team of researchers, engineers, architects, material producers and manufacturers has been working on this report. The final aim is to develop a Eurocode for the Structural Design of Tensile Membrane Structures, which will help to design and implement these lightweight structures. The report consists of three major parts: 1) general explanations giving scientific and technical background for the design of membrane structures, 2) state-of-the-art overview on existing national and European rules and recommendations on the design of membrane structures, and 3) proposals for European harmonized design rules, which could be part of the future Eurocode for Tensile Membrane Structures.
