April 1, 2014
Tensioned fabric panels enhance FBI parking garage using frame and clip technology. By Kelly Frush Typical businesses in San Diego’s Sorrento Valley include technology giants such as Qualcomm, Fujitsu, and Texas Instruments. But now there is a new sheriff in town—the FBI. The Federal Bureau of Investigation recently moved into a $100 million, six-story building, …
January 1, 2010
God is in the details when it comes to tension structure design Ludwig Mies van der Rohe got it right when he said “God is in the details.” Another well-worn phrase has it that we must sweat the details and the big things will take care of themselves, so with this article we look at …
May 1, 2008
PTW Architects designed the Beijing National Aquatic Center to take advantage of ETFE’s lightweight to clad the entire building with the air-filled pillows (“bubbles”)—twice! First, for a protective exterior façade and second, for an interior “façade” of the same material with a 5m airspace between them. At the roof level, rain gutters are built into …
April 1, 2005
A major consideration in designing a large awning or canopy for a structure is how it will be secured. Anchorages—elements used to fasten an awning system to a building and the ground—stabilize the awning. Most anchoring is done using one of four tried-and-true methods: friction, keying, combined friction and keying, or adhesion. The various awning …
March 1, 2000
Well-designed details can make fabric roof construction relatively easy and elegant in appearance. By Craig G. Huntington Cable Saddles Part 1 of this article described some of the special detailing problems related to cable terminations. Special detailing is also required when cables pass without termination over supporting members or intersect other cables, where a saddle …
January 1, 2000
Well-designed details can make fabric roof construction relatively easy and elegant in appearance. By Craig G. Huntington Introduction This paper addresses an aspect of design that is seldom addressed in tension structures literature: the structural details that fasten the elements of the roof together and provide a means for tensioning the fabric. Details are critical …