membrane structure
Let an agent explain membrane structures, relay forms, materials, design principles and notable examples from architecture and structural engineering sources, and distinguish membrane structures from shells of rigid concrete, tents as temporary shelters, cable-stayed bridges and inflatable products.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions
Understand What a membrane structure is.
Definition
Definition.
Definition
Definition.
- What is a membrane structure, and how does it differ from concrete shells, tents, cable-stayed bridges and inflatables? definition
- Is the question about design, a specific building or safety? boundary
Forms
Forms.
Forms
Forms.
- What are tensile fabric, cable net, air-supported and ETFE cushion structures? definition
- Which entry fits the specific form? action
Engineering Engineering.
Form finding
Form finding.
Form finding
Form finding.
- How do engineers find stable tensioned shapes, from soap film models to software? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
Materials
Materials.
Materials
Materials.
- How do PTFE, PVC and ETFE membranes differ? provenance
- Which sources are cited? provenance
Safety Codes.
Loads
Wind and snow.
Loads
Loads.
- How are membranes designed for wind, snow and ponding? provenance
- Which entry fits structural load? action
Fire
Fire performance.
Fire
Fire.
- How do building codes treat membrane fire performance? provenance
- Which entry fits fire safety? action
Context Examples.
Frei Otto
Frei Otto.
Frei Otto
Frei Otto.
- How did Frei Otto shape lightweight architecture? provenance
- Which entry fits Frei Otto? action
Eden Project
ETFE domes.
Eden Project
Eden Project.
- How do the Eden Project biomes use ETFE cushions? provenance
- Which entry fits Eden Project? action
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.BLT
What it is Filled
A building structure whose form and load-bearing capacity come from a thin, flexible membrane, usually a coated fabric such as PTFE-coated glass fibre or PVC-coated polyester, or a foil such as ETFE, kept in tension by cables, masts, arches or air pressure, including tensile structures and air-supported domes; examples include the Millennium Dome in London and the ETFE cushions of the Eden Project. Membrane structures need design for wind, snow and fire performance under building codes.
Why it exists Filled
Let an agent explain membrane structures, relay forms, materials, design principles and notable examples from architecture and structural engineering sources, and distinguish membrane structures from shells of rigid concrete, tents as temporary shelters, cable-stayed bridges and inflatable products.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Tension-based form
- Lightweight
- Double-curved surfaces
- Translucency
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Allow people into an air-supported dome during deflation or after a pressure alarm.
- Ignore wind or snow load warnings for a membrane roof.
- Bring open flames or heat sources near a membrane not rated for them.
- Change pressure, cable tension or support settings without the operator's instruction.
Only with a human decision
- Evacuating or closing a membrane structure in severe weather.
May
- Describe membrane structures, their materials and support systems.
- Report damage, sagging or loss of pressure to the structure's operator.
Moral aspects Filled
- Membrane roofs cover crowds, so a failure can hurt many people at once.
Who is affected
- Occupants and spectators
- Maintenance workers
- Owners and operators
Owners Filled
Steward
The owner or operator of the building, under building control authorities.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q811979 - registry parent class
related
- built structure - in registry terms
- tensile structure
- ETFE
- thin-shell structure
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.membrane-structure
- Wikidata: Q1500907 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1500907)
Direct properties required Filled
- Munich Olympic Stadium roof: 1972 year - Frei Otto and Behnisch
- PTFE-coated glass fibre lifespan: about 25 or more years - typical estimates
- ETFE foil weight: about 1 percent of glass note - often cited comparison
Recognition required Filled
- Tensioned membrane building structure
- Tensile structure, fabric structure, air-supported structure, ETFE cushion roof
- Concrete shells are rigid; tents are temporary; cable-stayed bridges carry decks; inflatable products are not buildings
- Curved, taut fabric or foil surfaces supported by masts, cables or air, often white or translucent.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- explain forms and materials
- relay design principles
- describe notable examples
- distinguish related structures
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Wind and snow load failure
- Deflation of air-supported domes
- Material ageing and fire
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- EN 1990 series and CEN/TS 19102 membrane design
- ASCE 55 tensile membrane structures
- Fire safety building codes
Context of use required Filled
- Covering large spans with lightweight surfaces.
- tensile fabric structures
- cable net structures
- air-supported structures
- air-inflated ETFE cushions
- retractable membrane roofs
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q1500907: membrane structure - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Membrane structure - general description of the item
Open questions
- Should air-supported structures be a separate entry?
- How should design standards be linked?
- Should notable examples be linked as instances?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q1500907/spec.json