Deployable membrane structures:

Practicality, industrial potential and reality

As someone who was introduced to the lightweight membrane structures recently, I have quickly
realized the immense potential they have, like everyone before me who has delved into this universe.
All the great minds who have worked on membrane structures, have not only seen the potential, but
also turned into reality, a lot of what they imagined. That is why when we look at the master builders,
we learn so much from them. Be it the chain model of Sagrada Familia or the soap bubble studies done
by Frei Otto, they all gave way to amazing lightweight membrane structures.

The innovation in membrane structures is astounding, from PV to ETFE panels and beyond; its
applications boundless, from buildings to aerospace and communication engineering. The fluidity of the
material and flexibility of the structures allows only imagination and finances to be the limit. The next
step in this innovative streak, naturally as it seems to me, is the development of an efficient deployable
membrane structure design, which can be easily industrialized. I do not yet know what the function
would be.

However, from where I stand, I can see something that could potentially have a strong effect on the
sustainable and ecological nature of our buildings. After all, we now have to fix the planet we damaged
in the first place.

I have yet to determine the course of the whole research, but I wanted to start by looking at the existing
body of work done on the subject of deployable membrane structures, as there is no point in
reinventing the wheel!

Having said that, the intention of this paper is to:

- study shell structures and their deployability

- research the existing work on deployable membrane structures
- make comparative cost analysis to understand the costs of deployable membrane structures
- analyze industrial processes of membrane structures
- discuss how building processes can potentially benefit from deployable membrane structures
- discuss the potential industrialization of the said structures, its challenges and benefits
- summarize the body of research to conclude how, in my humble opinion, we can move forward

So far, I have:

- studied papers on deployable membrane structures

o most of the work I came across was for space programs by NASA or its likes
o some of it was related to communications engineering
o in architecture and civil engineering, it was mostly limited to models or very small
structures
 - studied shell structures and their deployability
o was hoping to get some insight and background study done
- Studied existing deployable membrane systems and concepts
o Mostly roofs, awnings and shades designed extremely innovatively and intricately
o Tents and mosquito nets, used for camping have also been designed very creatively and
have extreme functionality built into them

I want this paper to be just the beginning of an exploration into the flexibility and fluidity of membrane
structures, with the idea of deployabilty as a core component. I believe, this paper is a good way to start
delving into the world of membrane and to play with the idea of a structure that can pop up anywhere,
anytime.

I would, very much, appreciate your input on this idea and help with the direction, for at this moment I
seem to be all over the place. Please let me know what you think.