Working Group 6: Tension and Membrane Structures

Mission

Encourage and synthesize presentations, reports and publications on projects, designs and research related to tension structures, such as membrane structures, cable structures, tensegrities and hybrid structures.

Background

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Current Objectives

1. Organize sessions at IASS Symposia and Colloquia related to tension structures
2. Discuss and share the information about key trends and future issues about tension structures
3. Contribute to the organization and editing of Special Issues of Journal of the IASS related to tension structures

Activities during 2013-14

• Organized two WG Sessions for the IASS Symposium 2014 in Brasilia.
• The officers of the WG extended international communication by serving in the following ways:

1. Ken'ichi Kawaguchi is serving for MSAJ (Membrane Structures Association Japan) as one of the Executive Committee members. He wrote a short guidelines for membrane ceiling systems in 2014 (in Japanese). He also served as the chair of the committee for the safety of the non-structural components in AIJ (Architectural Institute of Japan), and this committee published the "Guidelines for safety measures against accidental fall of ceilings and other non-structural components" (192 pages, in Japanese).
2. Marijke Molleart is serving TensiNet as a core person.
3. Ron Shaeffer is revising the Tensile Membrane Structures Standard for the ASCE as a member of the committee.

Activities during 2014-15

• Organized a WG Session for the IASS Symposium 2015 in Amsterdam.
• The officers of the WG extended international communication by continuing their service activities listed above for 2013-2014.
• In addition, Ken'ichi Kawaguchi organized ten pre-symposium seminars for IASS2016 Tokyo in many places in Japan.
• Several WG members participated in the IASS-endorsed conference "Structural Membranes 2015: Textile Composites and Inflatable Structures," October 19-21 in Barcelona.

Activities during 2015-16

• Ron Shaeffer and Marijlke Molleart were invited to MSAJ seminar at Tokyo Garden Palace Hotel to deliver lectures for MSAJ members, on the occasion when they visited Tokyo for IASS2016.
• Sudarshan Krishnan has taken the initiative for the WG6 OS at Tokyo.
• Ken'ichi Kawaguchi organized free post-symposium tour for IASS symposium participants to visit tension structures around Tokyo, after the IASS2016.
• Ken'ichi Kawaguchi organized the International Design Competition for Young Generation on New National Stadium Japan.
• Ken'ichi Kawaguchi organized the exhibition of Tent Models made by members of the Japan Tent Sheet Manufacturers Association, at the Ito Hall, the venue of IASS2016.

Activities during 2016-17

• Ron Shaeffer and Ken'ichi Kawaguchi were invited to SEWC colloquium at Bangalore July 13-15 to deliver lectures.
• Sudarshan Krishnan has organized the WG6 session for IASS2017.
• Ken'ichi Kawaguchi has designed a membrane structure, of which roof is supported by a tensegrity tower and a pentagonal tensegrity skeleton, and constructed at Kashiwa campus of the university of Tokyo in 2017.
• Several WG members are going to join the IASS-endorsed conference "Structural Membranes 2017", October 9-11 in Munich.

Activities during 2017-18

• Ron Shaeffer was selected as a new honorary member of IASS during EC meeting at IASS2018.
• Sudarshan Krishnan has organized the WG6 session in IASS2018.
• Ken'ichi Kawaguchi has organized the memorial session for Kenneth Snelson in IASS2018.

Activities during 2018-19

• Ken'ichi Kawaguchi was invited to SEWC congress at Istanbul April 24-26 to deliver a lecture on "Safety of Ceilings and Modern Architectures", in which he stressed safety of membrane ceilings.
• Mamoru Kawaguchi, one of the renowned senior members of the WG, and a former president of IASS has passed away on 29th of May.
• Sudarshan Krishnan has organized the WG6 session for IASS2019.
• WG6 has organized a plenary lecture on "the State of Arts of Tension and Membrane Structures", by inviting Marijke Mollaert and Kai-Uwe Bletzinger as lectueres, in IASS2019.
• Ronald Shaeffer, co-chair of the WG6, has passed away on 17th November, 2019. He has served to the WG very actively and this was truly a big loss for the WG.

Activities during year, 2019-2020

• Ronald Shaeffer, co-chair of the WG6, has passed away on 17th November, 2019. He has served to the WG very actively and this was truly a big loss for the WG.
• WG has started to consider about possible new activity of the WG, getting guidance from the state of the art given in the plenary lectures by Marijke Mollaert and Kai-Uwe Bletzinger at IASS2019.
• Sundarshan Krishnan has started to organize a WG6 session for IASS2020, which was finally postponed to 2021.

Activities during year, 2020-2021

• Ken'ichi Kawaguchi and Marijke Mollaert continued to seek new direction of the WG.
• One of the important outcome of the discussion is a mission of the WG. That is WG6 aims to be the international HUB of the regional associations and activities  related to tension and membrane structures in the world.
• Ken'ichi Kawaguchi and Marijke Mollaert have started to refresh the member list of the WG.
• Masaya Kawabata has proposed a new sub-working group of ETFE.
• Sundarshan Krishnan is continuing to organize the WG6 session for IASS2020/2021

Activities during year, 2021-2022

• WG6 had an OS "Tension and Membrane Structures: Recent Developments in and around the United Kingdom", during IASS2020/2021 online symposium, mainly prepared by Sudarshan Krishnan.
• Ken'ichi Kawaguchi and Marijke Mollaert were awarded Pioneers' Award from the Spatial Structures Research Centre of the University of Surrey .
• WG6 has organized the first annual meeting, in the form of online, 26th November, 2021.
  The agenda of the meeting were
  1. Brief comments from chairs and overview of WG
  2. Introduction of local associations (MSAJ, AIJ by K.Kawaguchi)
  3. A lecture to share common topics (by Tim Finlay)
  4. Introduction of a new sub-working group (ETFE)
  5. Future activities, proposals of WG-6 OS at Beijing Symposium

Activities during year, 2022-2023

• WG6 had organized an OS "Retractable and Other Tension Structures", mainly prepared by Sudarshan Krishnan, as WG6-3 in nine WG6 sessions, during IASS2022 Beijing online symposium.
• Ken'ichi Kawaguchi was awarded Gengo Matsui Special Prize from the Japan Structural Designers Club.
• WG6 has organized the second annual meeting, in the form of online, 18th November 2022.
  The agenda of the meeting were
  1. Brief comments from chairs
  2. Introduction of local associations ( Membrane Structures Committee in China by S.Xue)
  3. Lecture1 to share common topics (Group activities of Light Footprint, by Bruce Danziger)
  4. Lecture2 to share common topics (Report from sub-WG, by Masaya Kawabata)
  5. Future activities, proposals of WG-6 OS at Melbourne Symposium by Sudarshan Krishnan 
• Sub-WG of ETFE and WG6 organized an extended online meeting on "PFAS regulation and Membrane Structure" as the first half of the meeting of ETFE sub-WG, on 31st May, 2023.
  The agenda of the meeting were
  1. Introduction: Masaya KAWABATA
  2. Lecture1 "Fluoropolymer material and PFAS" by Ben Runhaar (AGC Chemicals Europe)
  3. Lecture2 "PTFE coated glass fiber material and PFAS" by Michael Katzer (Saint-Gobain)
  4. Lecture3 "Membrane material/structure and PFAS" byJun Kitamura (Membrane Structures Association of Japan)
  5. Discussions
• Sub-WG of ETFE organized a group meeting, on 31st May, 2023.
  The agenda of the meeting was
  1. Lecture "Wind Load in Japan and Structural Design of Membrane Structures Using ETFE Film" by M.Kawabata
  2. Discussions

Anticipated Future Activities

• Continue to seek opportunities to organize sessions on tension and membrane structures for IASS Symposia and Colloquia
• Organize annual online meetings to update and share common information and mutual interactions in WG members.  
• Exchange of information with regional associations and active groups about new projects, material, researches, movements and standards.

Membership

All current members of the Working Group, listed below, are members of the IASS. The Working Group welcomes additional members who have an interest in Tension Structures; those interested should please contact one of the Co-Chairs of the Working Group.

Further Information for IASS Members