TENSILE FABRIC ROOF STRUCTURES-AN ARCHITECTURAL APPROACH

Abstract

The challenge of long span structures has appealed to many a minds involved in the construction field, be it bridges or roofs or any other structure. History has been witness to much experimentation with such structures, where innovative solutions have come up and some of which have stood the test of time and made a mark in the minds of people strong enough to be termed 'conventional'. Tensile fabric roofs are a comparatively new phenomenon steadily growing towards wide acceptance. In India, it has seen the light of the day in the recent past with some landmark structures, but is yet to be fully exploited, mainly due to the ignorance of the professionals involved in the construction field. This dissertation is expected to help architects develop an understanding of tensile fabric roof structures, familiarize them with it's development through the ages, materials, design, construction and other necessary aspects involved. National and international case studies of a few prominent tensile fabric roof structures play an important role in this regard. Following which those aspects critical to the design of tensile fabric roof structures have been identified, developed and discussed in detail. The knowledge thus gained seeks application in the form of design. Thus the roof of an existing structure has been redesigned using fabric, significant materials estimated and the approximate costs obtained and analysed for comparing the different roof structures. Conclusions have been drawn and recommendations made on the basis of the study of the subject at hand.