Textile structures: detailing for compatibility: Fid-Bau Portal

Textile structures: detailing for compatibility

Llorens, J.I. de

Use of textile structures in building construction has increased, performance of materials has improved and know-how is available to designers. Form-finding, analysis and cutting-pattern are well documented in the literature, but little attention has been paid to the details. Nevertheless, using textile membranes in building construction requires special detailing in order to solve problems of compatibility issued by the formal, resistant and deformation characteristics of the material. Deformability and thermal expansion coefficients of membranes are different from the values of the usual building materials. On the other hand, movements of tensile structures under superimposed loads like wind and snow are much higher than in any other building system. Moreover, as membranes use to be thin, lightweight and translucent, it is very difficult to connect them with thick, heavy and opaque elements which act as supports in most applications. The paper describes several procedures to deal with the problems of compatibility, concerning mainly to movement, strength and shape. A typology of joints and connections is presented according to their main features: flexibility (flexible or rigid), openness (open or closed), permeability (permeable or water-proof) and continuity (punctual or continuous). A variety of intermediate devices solved with different materials, fittings, attachments and fasteners are considered, enlightened by examples taken from the author's own work and other designs. Case-studies of annoying failures due to misconsideration of the requirements are showed and importance of detailing within the overall design process is emphasized.