News

Following the success of this first webinar, TensiNet has started to develop a full programme of webinars that could take place monthly around lunchtime (GMT +1).

Membrane Architecture – Life Cycle Assessment – Environmental Impacts

Organised by TensiNet and the Working Group Sustainability & Comfort (coordinator Carol Monticelli - Politecnico di Milano / Marijke Mollaert VUB)

Programme

13.00 – 13:05 Opening and Welcoming - Chair: Marijke Mollaert (VUB and Tensinet)

13.05 – 13.20 What is the Life Cycle Assessment? And what does it mean in Membrane Architecture Field? -  Carol Monticelli (Polimi – Dept. DABC – Textiles Hub - LCTeams)

13.20 – 13.35 Environmental Product Declarations in Tensile Architecture: Available Datasets and Environmental Impact based on Global Warming Potential -  Zehra Eryuruk (VUB – Dept. Mechanics of Materials and Constructions)

13.35 – 13.55 Q&A - Katja Bernert

13.55 – 14.00 Closure of the meeting - Marijke Mollaert

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a scientific methodology used to evaluate the environmental impacts of a product or system throughout its entire life cycle, from raw material extraction to end-of-life. In membrane architecture, LCA helps designers and engineers assess and reduce the environmental footprint of lightweight building solutions such as technical textiles and foils.

Compared to traditional construction materials, membrane and foil structures require significantly less material, thanks to their ability to work efficiently in tension. However, their fossil-fuel origin and their thermal, optical, and acoustic performance require careful environmental evaluation during the design phase. LCA makes it possible to identify both advantages and limitations of membrane materials, while tools such as Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) support informed decision-making and promote more sustainable membrane architecture.

Join the TensiNet FREE WEBINAR “Membrane Architecture – Life Cycle Assessment – Environmental Impacts” on Friday, March 6, 2026, from 13:00 to 14:00 CET. The webinar will introduce LCA principles, their application to membrane structures, and present the currently available Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for membrane materials and systems. Please find the link to add your name on this list. Registration to participate in the webinar is a two-step process. 

Save the date - Friday 6th March from 13.00 till 14.00

Following the success of this first webinar, TensiNet has started to develop a full programme of webinars that could take place monthly around lunchtime (GMT +1).

Membrane Architecture – Life Cycle Assessment – Environmental Impacts

Organised by TensiNet and the Working Group Sustainability & Comfort (coordinator Carol Monticelli - Politecnico di Milano / Marijke Mollaert VUB)

Programme

13.00 – 13:05 Opening and Welcoming - Chair: Marijke Mollaert (VUB and Tensinet)

13.05 – 13.20 What is the Life Cycle Assessment? And what does it mean in Membrane Architecture Field? -  Carol Monticelli (Polimi – Dept. DABC – Textiles Hub - LCTeams)

13.20 – 13.35 Environmental Product Declarations in Tensile Architecture: Available Datasets and Environmental Impact based on Global Warming Potential -  Zehra Eryuruk (VUB – Dept. Mechanics of Materials and Constructions)

13.35 – 13.55 Q&A - Katja Bernert

13.55 – 14.00 Closure of the meeting - Marijke Mollaert

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a scientific methodology used to evaluate the environmental impacts of a product or system throughout its entire life cycle, from raw material extraction to end-of-life. In membrane architecture, LCA helps designers and engineers assess and reduce the environmental footprint of lightweight building solutions such as technical textiles and foils.

Compared to traditional construction materials, membrane and foil structures require significantly less material, thanks to their ability to work efficiently in tension. However, their fossil-fuel origin and their thermal, optical, and acoustic performance require careful environmental evaluation during the design phase. LCA makes it possible to identify both advantages and limitations of membrane materials, while tools such as Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) support informed decision-making and promote more sustainable membrane architecture.

Join the TensiNet FREE WEBINAR “Membrane Architecture – Life Cycle Assessment – Environmental Impacts” on Friday, March 6, 2026, from 13:00 to 14:00 CET. The webinar will introduce LCA principles, their application to membrane structures, and present the currently available Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for membrane materials and systems. Please find the link to add your name on this list. Registration to participate in the webinar is a two-step process. 

The WG Eurocode & specifications organises on regular basis CEN/TC 250/WG 5 meetings. They are currently working on the Execution rules. 

The TensiNewsflash WINTER 2025-2026 is online. Enjoy your reading. Link

The TensiNet association has engaged Chemservice to collect information on the socio & economical impact of a PFAS ban and to prepare a dossier to reply to SEAC.

We do need your participation. Chemservice has prepared a questionnaire.

Return this questionnaire no later than Friday 20^th March 2026, to assure a timely development of the TensiNet response to SEAC.

See link

The General Assembly will be held at Techtextil on Wednesday 22nd April from 14.00 till 15.30.

The meeting will be held in a hybrid format.

Members who aren't able to come to Frankfurt can join by Teams.

More info will follow soon.

The General Assembly will be held at Techtextil on Wednesday 22nd April from 14.00 till 15.30.

The meeting will be held in a hybrid format.

Members who aren't able to come to Frankfurt can join by Teams.

More info will follow soon.

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

International technical composite membrane manufacturing trade fair

About the programme:

• This is an advanced professional training designed to provide a comprehensive education in membrane lightweight structures to a wide range of professionals — architects, engineers, craftsmen, managers as well as suitable for anyone working in this field.
• The programme is structured to be completed on a part-time basis and attended entirely online — with no travel or visa restrictions.
• We offer LIVE online classes on Fabrication & Construction, Detailing & Patterning, Structural Design, Structural Analysis, Membrane Materials, Sustainability and many more by industry experts and professors from renowned universities across the world.
• Upon successful completion, participants are awarded the title IMS BAUHAUS Degree® Archineer® for Membrane Structures — a protected, internationally registered trademark exclusively licensed by our institute as well as highly acclaimed and recognised within the industry.

Timeline: 24 February – 25 July 2026

Language: English 

Class Schedule: Fridays & Saturdays | 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM CET LIVE via Zoom online

Tuition Fee: EUR 3,200 (total)

Official Structural Analysis Tool Partner: Dlubal Software GmbH

Online LIVE Open House (Q&A Session)

IMS BAUHAUS® Archineer® Institutes e.V.: https://www.ims-institute.org
Course details on website: https://www.ims-institute.org/ims-education/archineer/

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a diverse family of chemicals.

Not all PFAS are the same. Each should be treated differently. PTFE's unique combination of properties sets it apart from other materials and makes it vital to the sectors it serves, especially tensile architecture. Regulation against all PFAS could result in tensioned membrane structures becoming obsolete. 

Members of the Fluoropolymer Product Group (FPG) have provided the industry and its downstream users with robust safety information and best practice guidelines. The comprehensive guide covers essential materials such as PTFE, ETFE, FEP, PFA and PVDF, all of which are widely used in tensile architecture. The FPG and its members are dedicated to ensuring the safe use, sustainable manufacturing and responsible end-of-life solutions of fluoropolymers.

SAVE THE DATE - 05.02.2026

The TensiNet Working Group Sustainability and Comfort and its industrial members will organise a FREE WEBINAR on 5/2/2026 about the PFAS restriction process, fluoropolymers and PFAS, membrane materials and the next SEAC consultation.

PROGRAMME

09.45 – 10.00 Opening

10.00 – 10.05 Welcoming: Chair: Carol Monticelli (Polimi)

10.05 – 10.15 Introduction: TensiNet missions & WG Sustainability & Comfort - Marijke Mollaert (VUB and TensiNet)

10.15 – 10.30 Architectural membranes & Fluoropolymers' use - Farid Sahnoune (Serge Ferrari)

10.30 – 10.45 European PFAS Restriction - Franscisco Hernández (ChemService)

10.45 – 11.05 Fluoropolymers: PFAS of Low Concern - Bruno Ameduri (Centre national de la recherche scientifique)

11.05 – 11.20 Socio-economic consultation - Jaime Sales (ChemService)

11.20 – 11.25 Conclusion - Carol Monticelli (Polimi)

11.20 – 12.00 Q&A - Katja Bernert (Textile Architecture Expert)

12.00 Closure of the meeting

PLEASE REGISTER at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfOz7OM7lt_byWSxaAUGvOuLeBkPCOOAFv6RHQVBqYo9SrAjA/viewform

Reference:

https://ptfedf.com/is-ptfe-a-pfas/

https://fluoropolymers.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Safe-Handling-Guide-2025-Website-Statement.pdf

https://valve-world.net/not-all-pfas-chemicals-are-the-same-in-fact-most-are-not/

The Advanced Building Skins Conference & Expo has been running for over 20 years and is the premier international event for innovative building envelopes.

Attracting architects, engineers and representatives from the construction industry makes this event the ideal place for productive networking with a wide mix of industry specialists from more than 50 countries across the world.

Besides the excellent networking opportunities you'll also benefit from high-caliber presentations and targeted marketing opportunities through our tailored exhibition and sponsorship program.

R-EVOLUTION OF SHAPES: SUSTAINABILITY, RE-USE, AND NEW DESIGN PARADIGMS

IASS Annual Symposium 2026 – 3rd Italian Workshop on Shell and Spatial Structures

The 2026 symposium intent is to encourage participants to imagine how adaptive reuse breathes new life into old structures, turning historical spaces into contemporary marvels, to stimulate discussions about sustainable practices that ensure our designs to be not only structurally efficient and beautiful, but also environmentally responsible. The organizers’ aim at cutting-edge design paradigms that challenge and expand the boundaries of structural and architectural innovation.

Hosting institution: Politecnico di Torino,Turin, Italy