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A concept for a mobile shelter is proposed, based on the geometry and kinematic behaviour of foldable plate structures. The folding pattern and the associated design parameters are discussed, along with their influence on the geometry and the kinematic behaviour. It is shown that the transition can be made from a foldable plate structure to a foldable bar structure, while retaining an identical kinematic behaviour. This is done by introducing custom-built joints for connecting the bars which allow the system to deploy in the desired way, maintaining the same D.O.F (degree of freedom) as the plate system. For the structure to be employable as a fully-fledged temporary space enclosure, a lightweight textile membrane is incorporated beforehand and deployed along with the bar structure.

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To achieve sufficient anticlastic (negative) curvature, membrane structures are tensioned between high and low anchor points, attached to the ground, buildings or poles. By integrating flexible bending elements in the membrane surface, an internal support and shape-defining system is created that provides more freedom in design and allows reducing the amount of external supports compared to traditional membrane structures. This paper presents a computational framework for form finding of tension structures with integrated, elastically bent, linear elements, based on threedimensional bending moment vectors and a mixed force density formulation. With an implementation of this framework in CAD modelling software, users can control form and forces by prescribing any combination of force densities, forces, stiffness or lengths to the spline and cable-net elements. Sparse matrix operations are used to compute the resulting equilibrium shapes. The shape-defining possibilities of integrating 'bending-active' elements in tension structures are demonstrated through a series of design studies with various boundary conditions and spline configurations. The presented framework and implementation provide a straightforward method for the design of this hybrid structural system, and, therefore, facilitate its further exploration.