BUILDING TECHNOLOGY 05

A structure made up of parts that solely carry tension and not compression or bending.  Tensile structures are the most frequent type of thin-shell construction. Tensile membrane structures are commonly utilized as roofs because they can span great distances inexpensively and beautifully. Tensile membrane constructions can also be employed as full buildings, with common uses including sports facilities, warehousing and storage structures, and exposition sites. 

I learned its principles lies on a hierarchy in how buildings resist loads applied to them, with pure tension elements being the most efficient. In contrast to elements loaded in pure compression, which often suffer from buckling instability well before stresses reach that level, their complete cross-section can be stressed at or close to the material's maximum strength. Beams are also less efficient since they experience both tension and compression stresses during bending and, as a result of their distribution pattern within the beam section, much of the material is underutilized. Fortunately, most building materials, including natural and man-made yarns and textiles, have high tensile strength, with the notable exceptions being brick, stone, and unreinforced concrete.