Graphical Construction Glossary >> Roofs and roofing. >> Roof Types >> fabric roofs

fabric Roofs

Roofs made from flexible membranes and tensioned cables. From simple shade structures to complex permanent structures.

A set of small but complex fabric structures roofing a small walkway.

Designing and building a long lasting roof system using fabric membranes is not a trivial matter. The engineering that goes into working out the wind loadings is quite intense and the support columns and wires often appear to be over designed until one stops and considers what the supports and structure for a conventional roof spanning the same area would look like.

This particular shade roof over a children's play area after a period of heavy rain pulled over a substantial concrete footing for one of the cable stays. It was about 600 diameter by 2M. deep mass concrete. It was replaced by one that was a meter square by 2M. deep with a full reinforced cage.

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