• SelgasCano Pavilion at Liquid City, Bruges Triennale.14 May – 16 Sept. 2018

    19 July 2018

     

    How flexible, liquid, and resilient can a historic city like Bruges be in an age when nothing seems to be certain any longer?

    A lightweight installation by SelgasCano architects. They designed a vibrant floating pavilion in the Coupure Canal.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFNctCUe24g

    triennaletriennale 2

    Pictures © toerisme Brugge – Jan Dhondt

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  • 'Isoropia' at the16th International Architecture Exhibition, la Biennale di Venezia (26 May - 25 Nov. 2018)

    19 July 2018

     

    Interesting installations at the Danish Pavilion - Theme: Possible Spaces - Sustainable development through collaborative innovations

    The installation 'Isoropia' - Greek: meaning balance, equilibrium and stability - is more than 35m long and made of more than 40 custom CNC knitted membranes of up to 7m length. These are set in structural equilibrium with bend glassfibre rods of varying strength. The structure creates a spatial and structural continuum through the Danish Pavilion, forming differentiated outdoor canopy structures on the two outer sides and a vaulted space in the interior. Similar to the spatial expression the structural system morphs from a cablenet system, which prestresses and stabilises the structure to one, which uses tensegrity like compression elements to prestress the knitted membrane.

    More information: https://kadk.dk/en/case/isoropia

     

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  • Competition and exhibition of innovative lightweight structures

    27 June 2018

    Competition and exhibition of innovative lightweight structures: An invitation for artists, designers, engineers, and researchers

    Organized by the new IASS Working Group 21 “Advanced manufacturing and materials” in close cooperation with the IASS Symposium 2019 and the Structural Membranes 2019 Conference, Barcelona.

    Internationally recognized and celebrated artists, designers, engineers, and researchers in cooperation with top universities from all over the world are invited to participate in a contest and exhibition of innovative lightweight structures. The structures must display a strong vision of structural design and innovation. They should demonstrably be the result of structural engineering focused research projects. It is our ambition to have an exhibition that shows new insights on structural typologies, through the design of a pavilion. The pavilions will be exhibited in the summer of 2019 and during the joint IASS - Structural Membranes Form and Force 2019 symposium in Barcelona. During the conference the jury of the contest, chaired by the president of the IASS, will award a prize to the most innovative realized structure.

    More information: http://www.manufacturingmaterials.org/competition.html

     

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  • Textiles for urban living

    7 June 2018

    Cities are the living space of the future. By 2050 nearly 70 per cent of the global population will be living in metropolitan centres and megacities, which means new ways of life and with this, new demands on textiles. The special show “Urban-Living – City of the Future” at both Techtextil and Texprocess is therefore certain to attract a wide audience. The mission to bring technology and textile together in order to safeguard quality of life in the cities is the greatest challenge facing advanced materials in architecture, clothing and mobility. The trade fairs Techtextil and Texprocess (14 to 17 May 2019) focus on this theme. Under the motto “Space for Innovation” Techtextil, the Leading International Trade Fair for Technical Textiles and Nonwovens, will present the complete spectrum of technical textiles, functional apparel textiles and textile technologies and their applications. “Space for Progress” is the motto of the concurrent Texprocess, the Leading International Trade Fair for Processing Textile and Flexible Materials, which will show the latest machines, plant, processes and services for making up textile and flexible materials.

    The strategic aim of the trade fairs is to bring together textile manufacturers, users and processors who are in advance of their time and transcend sector boundaries. Techtextil will focus on functional and smart textiles, and a comprehensive complementary programme of lectures, discussions, awards and other events will offer supplementary insights for industry insiders. By contrast, Texprocess will focus on digitalisation as a driver of innovation in the textile industry. Following the positive response to last year’s event, a digital textile micro-factory will once again show a fully networked textile production chain in live operation. In addition to a production chain for garments, the complete process for textiles for other areas of application will also be shown for the first time.

    See also https://techtextil.messefrankfurt.com/frankfurt/en.html

     

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  • FLYER TensiNet Symposium 2019 “Softening the Habitats: Sustainable Innovations in Minimal Mass Structures and Lightweight Architectures”

    21 May 2018

    Please find the flyer for the upcoming symposium 2019 - http://www.tensinet.com/files/Tensinet_Symposia/TS2019_Flyer.pdf 

    Don't miss the deadline for SUBMISSION ABSTRACT - 31st May 2018

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  • UPDATE TensiNet Symposium 2019 “Softening the Habitats: Sustainable Innovations in Minimal Mass Structures and Lightweight Architectures”

    9 May 2018

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  • REMINDER Call for Abstracts TensiNet symposium 2019 - Submission OPEN until 31 May 2018

    9 May 2018

    DEADLINE POSTPONED MONDAY 18th June

    Dear Colleague,

    We are delighted to invite you to participate and submit your abstract to the 6th International TensiNet Symposium “Softening the Habitats: Sustainable Innovations in Minimal Mass Structures and Lightweight Architectures” that will take place from the 3rd to the 5th of June 2019 at Politecnico di Milano, in Milan, Italy.

    Abstracts Submission is OPEN until MONDAY 18th June.

    Abstract Template is available on our website www.tensinet2019.polimi.it

    The 2019 TensiNet Symposium edition will open a twofold reflection - by means of both the conference and exhibition - on current innovations, trends and strategies in the field of lightweight membrane structures and mainly on the future of those technologies, which the TensiNet Association is interested in: tensile and pneumatic structures, textile architecture, membranes and foils, ultra-lightweight constructions and structural skins.

    Three days of inspiring keynote lectures and plenary sessions, followed by parallel sessions and an open panel discussion will create a very special event where experts in the areas of membrane architecture and engineering, as well as researchers and industry representatives are invited to contribute to constructive debates on soft structures, softening the environment and soft skins.

    For more details, please visit the congress website www.tensinet2019.polimi.it

    We look forward to welcoming you in Milan.

    Best Regards,

    TS2019 organizing committee

    Politecnico di Milano

    Alessandra Zanelli, Carol Monticelli

    TensiNet association

    Evi Corne, Marijke Mollaert, Bernd Stimpfle

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    TensiNet Symposium 2019 - Softening the Habitats

    Politecnico di Milano

    tensinet2019symposium@polimi.it

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  • Vacancy - Maffeis Engineering

    4 April 2018

    Maffeis engineering is looking for specialized Engineers and Architects in the field of lightweight structures that may have a good background and would speaks German.

    The knowledge of followings software is mandatory: Cad 2d/3d advance, Sketchup and Layout, Rhino Grasshopper, Revit Dynamo & Inventor

    Candidate replies shall be addressed directly to hr@maffeis.it

     

    Wir suchen Bauingenieure mit 2-jähriger Erfahrung und Junior Bauingenieure ohne Arbeitserfahrung für unser Büro in Solagna (VI), Italien

    Wenn du in einem jungen und dynamischen Team mitarbeiten willst, den Senior Ingenieuren bei der Ausarbeitung von FEM Modellen und Analysen, Statischen Modellen und Berechnungen und Detailplanung sowie Ausschreibungen im internationalen Kontext unterstützen willst, dann bewirb dich!

    Qualifikationen/Erfahrung:

      • Universitätsabschluss als Bauingenieur - Konstruktiver Ingenieurba
      • Kenntnis der Stahlbau oder Massivbau Eurocodes
      • 2-jährige Arbeitserfahrung
      • Fähigkeit kleine Projekte selbst abzuwickel
      • Fähigkeit mit minimaler Beaufsichtigung zu Arbeite
      • 3-sprachig (deutsch, italienisch, englisch
      • CAD, Straus7, SAP2000 FEM Analysis Software

    Kernaufgaben:

      • Statik und Angebotszeichnungen in Angebotshas
      • Entwicklung von konstruktiven Lösungen

    Falls in dieser oder ähnlicher Rolle interessiert, bitte eine email mit Europass CV an hr@maffeis.it


    Wir suchen Architekten mit 2-jähriger Erfahrung für unser Büro in Solagna (VI), Italien

    Wenn du in einem jungen und dynamischen Team mitarbeiten willst, an Projekten aus aller Welt im Fassadenbereich aber auch in anderen Ingenieurbereichen Details ausarbeiten, 3D und BIM Modellen und Berechnungen ausarbeiten und Detailplanung sowie Ausschreibungen im internationalen Kontext unterstützen willst, dann bewirb dich!

    Qualifikationen/Erfahrung:

      • Universitätsabschluss als Architekt oder Bauingenieu
      • 2-jährige Arbeitserfahrung
      • Fähigkeit kleine Projekte selbst abzuwickel
      • Fähigkeit mit minimaler Beaufsichtigung zu Arbeite
      • 3-sprachig (deutsch, italienisch, englisch
      • CAD, Rhino+Grasshopper, Revit, Office, Photoshop

    Kernaufgaben:

      • Mitarbeit an Großprojekten im deutschen Sprachrau
      • Entwicklung von Details und Lösungen im Fassadenbereich und sonstigen konstruktiven Teilbereichen.

    Falls in dieser oder ähnlicher Rolle interessiert bitte ein email mit Europass CV hr@maffeis.it

     

     

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  • TensiNews - Newsletter Nr. 34 - April 2018

    4 April 2018

    Enjoy the latest TensiNews 34:

    TensiNews - Newsletter Nr. 34 - APRIL 2018 -  Price 15€ (port incl)

    For non TensiNet members: http://www.tensinet.com/files/TensiNet_Publications/Tensinews%2034-4p.pdf

    For TensiNet members: http://www.tensinet.com/index.php/tensinet-publications/new-tensinews

     

     

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  • Announcement TensiNet symposium 2019

    16 March 2018

     

    Save the date: June 3-5, 2019, Milan, Italy

     

    The 6th International TensiNet Symposium “Softening the Habitats: Sustainable Innovations in Minimal Mass Structures and Lightweight Architectures” will take place from the 3th to the 5th of June 2019 at Politecnico di Milano (PoliMi), in Milan, Italy. The 2019 TensiNet Symposium (TS19) is organized and hosted by the TensiNet Association and in particular by PoliMi and Textile Hub, which is an interdepartmental research laboratory on textiles and polymers based in PoliMi.

    The 2019 TensiNet edition will open a twofold reflection – by means of both a conference and an exhibition– on current innovations, trends and strategies in the field of lightweight membrane structures and mainly on the future of those technologies, on which the TensiNet Association’s interest is focused: tensile and pneumatic structures, textile architecture, membranes and foils, ultra-lightweight constructions and structural skins.

    Indeed, lightweight structures have been regularly applied in the field of human construction, and have been so for more than ten thousand years. Since the first pioneering innovations of Frei Otto and Buckminster Fuller, the membrane structures have recently seen a considerable expansion due to the promising prospects that they offer, accounting for a larger proportion of the overall volume of buildings. The last few decades have brought numerous significant innovations in terms of materials, design and computation tools, as well as construction detailing and installation methodology. As a consequence of such innovative applications, membrane construction now has an established place in the field of Architecture. It is increasingly pivotal by now an analysis on the existing state of the art and a prefiguration of the scenarios concerning the textile architecture. Can we expect any major innovations in this area? What part of our imagination still remains to be explored today? Will current technical advancements in materials production lead to lighter and more efficient structures and to greater environmentally sustainable enclosures? What is the biggest challenge of the next few decades in the field of tent construction? Can we envision a future where unknown durable and recyclable materials will contribute to decrease the current conflicts between society and nature?

    The main theme proposed for the next 2019 symposium edition – Softening the Habitats – entails to investigating constraints but also opportunities of textile architecture for dealing with a near softer future in building architecture.

    Three mornings of inspiring keynote lectures plus a number of plenary sessions, followed by just as afternoons of parallel sessions will create a very special event where experts in the areas of membrane architecture and engineering, as well as researchers and industry representatives are invited to contribute to constructive debates on soft structures, softening the environment and soft skins.

    Thus, on one side, the conference will focus on how building technologies on membranes are being more and more directed towards achieving a smaller environmental footprint and obtaining more resilient cities and landscapes. On the other side, the exhibit will start one week prior to the conference and it will show an exhaustive picture of responsibilities at various levels – academia, industries, practitioners, construction sector and standards – acting on tensile, membrane and foil constructions in Europe and worldwide. The aim of the exposition is first and foremost to support the role of the TensiNet Association as a disseminator of information at the regional level and amplifying it to the global scale, and vice-versa. Eventually, a deeper understanding of the latest, most emblematic tensile constructions and of the different team collaborations on these specific projects will provide an unprecedented mapping of information and material flows. In this way, the exhibit will be promoting knowledge on recent innovations related to the environmental mitigation and adaptation towards more sustainable materials in textile architecture.

    To cope with the complexity of the theme, the 6th TensiNet Symposium is structured by:

    • 3 Plenary sessions, namely Soft Structures, Softening the Environment, Soft Skins;

    • 1 Academia vs Industry Open Talk Session, linked to the Exhibition;

    • 5 Parallel sessions which are expected to drive and spread 10 different topics on special technical issues, reviews of State of the Art and case studies.

    In the “Soft Structures” Plenary session, the future frontiers of tensile membrane structures will be explored thanks the involvement of a variety of disciplines and perspectives. The concept of lightness will shift its essence from vision to necessity, from shape to matter, while lightweight structures will have to become fully energy-saving, efficiently load-bearing and, last but not least, carrying on novel concepts of beauty, flexible functions and adaptive structures. The summary of key topics of the “Soft Structures” Plenary session is: Structural Lightness, Structural efficiency, New materials & unpredictable shapes, Metal free structures, hybrid structures, Detailing & installation.

    Furthermore, the Plenary session “Softening the Environment” will focus on the pivotal role of designing, manufacturing and building architectures, structures and landscapes and their impacts on global sustainability challenges. The main goal of the Plenary session is to draw the attention to measuring the quality of current and future lightweight constructions in terms of environmental efficiency, user’s comfort, materials and building products’ durability and end-life scenarios.

    The summary of key topics of the “Softening the Environment” Plenary session is: Weight reduction opportunities in design and manufacturing, Material selection strategies in lightweight industry and in lightweight construction, Standard regulations, sustainability targets for the next textile architecture, Production methods, Environmental product declaration and Life Cycle Assessment Methodology.

    Finally, the third Plenary session “Soft Skins” will be devoted to the crucial and challenging topic of living structures. We have been long wishing for unwoven, seamless, elastic and durable materials, such as a kind natural fleeces and thin shells. Further basic researches and outstanding practices are leading the development of novel resilient structures and adaptive skins, which will be able to perform a next generation of human constructions. The summary of key topics of the Soft Skins Plenary Session is: Novel aesthetics, Material and light effects, Designing with advanced lightweight materials, Solar design and daylighting optimization, Energy active skins, Energy/thermal management, Sound insulation, Detailing and installation.

    Several Parallel sessions will eventually explore the following main sub-topics: the “Movement in Lightweight Structures” will unfold the topics: Demountable structures and Kinetic/ Kinematic/ Foldable structures. In parallel, the session “Recently Built Structures” will unfold the topics: Pneumatic & air-supported structures and Complex/ hybrid structures.

    The Parallel session: “Environmental Compatible Membrane Structures” (IASS WG18 Environmentally Compatible Structures joined session) will unfold the topics: Design & Simulation and Analysis & Performances assessment.

    Lastly, the Parallel sessions “Adaptive of Membrane-based Skins” and “Adaptivity of Transparent Foils-based Skins” will unfold the topics: Design & Simulation and Thermal & Acoustic Comfort.

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    * For exhibitors and sponsorship opportunities, please contact: tensinet2019exhibition@polimi.it

    ** TS2019 organizing committee, please contact: tensinet2019symposium@polimi.it

    Politecnico di Milano

    Alessandra Zanelli, Carol Monticelli

    TensiNet association

    Evi Corne, Marijke Mollaert, Bernd Stimpfle

     

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