Experience from a Course on “Formfinding and Analysis of Tension Structures”, held at the University of Stuttgart for 10 years

Abstract

The most striking and peculiar property of surface-tension structures – membranes, prestressed and hanging cable nets, pneus, etc. – is their intrinsic interaction of form and forces. When designed using pencil and paper only, or even using a conventional CAD-system, and then materialised by tissue or cables they would act unpredictably. This is due to the fact that here feasible shapes must be “figures of equilibrium”. Mostly the design and even analysis of this type of structure is outside the conventional education of the profession. Thus the student of structural engineering or architecture enters a completely new and strange world when attending a class where, the creation of feasible forms is the essential objective The course comprises lectures, practice with formfinding software at either UNIX-Workstations or WINDOWS-PCs, and issuing of special study, diploma, and design work. An intrinsic property of the working and training places offered and also of the different study- and diploma works is their interdisciplinarity. It has proven year after year to be successful, judging also from the fine exercises and the excellent design- and thesis-works done by the attending students.