Ladder

Pneumatic structure — the ladder

One essay so far against this idea. A ladder is the distinct arguments that stand against one idea, and this one has room to grow.
  1. 18 kN/m18 kN/mN = 9.3 kN/m1190 Pa121 mm of water60 mtotal uplift 3365 kNworst membrane force when the snow melts

    Held up by the air inside

    A membrane has no bending stiffness at all, so the only thing that can hold it in tension is a pressure difference. The pressure needed to hold up a roof is smaller than the pressure a closed door makes — and the same pressure arrives at the foundation as hundreds of tonnes of uplift.

    rung 1 · structures

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