ABSTRACT
Overstretching of the membrane compromises the material; there is bound to be a breaking point. The benefit of working with an elastic or flexible material is the potential for fluidity in form. Stretching in a building assembly is akin to tailoring clothes, not only in the use of fabric but in the methods of creating form – darts, hems, pins – and in the way it touches the body – drapes, tucks, and clings. The primary building typologies using stretching strategies are temporary pavilions or stadium roof structures. With very few materials, we can enclose large spaces and achieve qualities of lightness, low cost, and easy installation. The act of stretching also varies translucency, the visibility through the fabric, and the appearance of three-dimensionality in the fabric. The opacity and translucency of the stressed fabric depend on the fabric’s weave and the viewing angle.
