Recommended Citation
CADRC White Paper, May 1, 2013, pages 1-19.
Abstract
This paper describes the concept of pneumatic structures applied to multi-story buildings. In such buildings an internal environmental air pressure acting on the underside of the roof supports floors that are suspended from roof level. A continuous plastic membrane surrounded by an external cable-network for reinforcement purposes contains the pressurized building environment in a similar fashion to the container of a pressure vessel. The paper explores safety considerations, fire protection measures, special requirements relating to water and sanitary services in a hyperbaric environment, airlock entrance and emergency egress provisions, construction and erection considerations, cost projections, and the structural design process. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of alternative structural air-supported configurations and fluid-inflated systems in which the building environment is not pressurized.
Disciplines
Architecture
Copyright
2013 Jens G. Pohl.
Included in
URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/arch_fac/76