Spinoff story

Other Fabric Structures

A real-world story of NASA technology finding a life beyond the mission.

About this technology

Overview

There are two kinds of fabric structures - tension, supported by cables and pylons, and those supported by air pressure within an enclosed fabric envelope. They are becoming increasingly popular with architects, engineers, etc., because of their aesthetic appeal, low cost and maintenance, energy efficiency and good space utilization. The Structo-Fab roof weighs only 1/30 as much as a conventional roof of that size. Giant fans are used to blow air into the envelope between the roof's outer membrane and its inner liner automatically maintaining the pressure differential necessary for roof rigidity.