Towards A New Tensegrity System: for Large-span Structures

Throughout the long history of architecture, the effect of gravity is always present in any structures. Surprisingly in tensegrity composition, this primary law of nature seems to be absent. This is because the discontinuous set of struts in the continuous network of proportionally thin cables makes the structures look like floating in the air. However, there has not been much application of tensegrity principle in the construction field due to the lack of design methods and its complexity. By developing a large-span structure using tensegrity systems, a design method and an analysis technique are introduced along to define double-surface tensegrity systems. The design approach explores an innovative way to determine the structural topology and geometry of such the systems. The form-finding process and structural analysis are conducted to discover an appropriate way of analyzing tensegrity and ensuring that the systems are stable.Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences | Building Technolog