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Coated fabrics and foils, used for architectural applications, are presented in the first part of this chapter. The current fibres and coatings available on the market are described in detail according to their performance, the advantages/ disadvantages and current applications in architecture. The second part is focused on the most common typologies of tension structures, the design process and the comparison with conventional roofing forms. The main physical and digital techniques for form-finding, static and dynamic analysis, patterning and manufacturing are described in detail. Architectural Fabric and FoilsIn membrane structures three main type of material are generally used: coated fabrics, open mesh fabrics and foils.Coated fabrics present a symmetrical structure of yarns arranged in two main orthogonal directions: warp and fill. The yarns consist of threads parallel or twisted together and can be made of several materials. While the structural function is mainly provided by the yarns, the protection from chemical and biological influences, fire-retardant behaviour, weld ability, waterproof qualities and UV ray resistance depend on the coating layer.For applications which do not require weather tightness, the use of open mesh fabrics is recently becoming quite popular. The weaving pattern can be designed in order to achieve the required level of solar protection and the design can take advantage of the reduced wind loads and of the substantial absence of ponding and wrinkles due to the permeable structure.

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A pneumatic multilayer foil construction with a kinetic shading mechanism has the potential to be an effective response to dynamic climatic factors, such as solar radiation, and therefore moderate the energy consumption of buildings. A parametric study was carried out on a switchable ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) foil cushion with the purpose of investigating the optical performance of an adaptive building envelope and its impact on building energy performance regarding heating, cooling and lighting. Ray-tracing techniques were used to investigate the effects of surface curvature, frit layout and frit properties, on the optical performance of the cushion in open and closed mode. A range of incidence angles for solar radiation were simulated. The results of the simulation showed an angle dependent optical behaviour for both modes. The influence of the dynamic shading mechanism on building energy performance was further evaluated by integrating the optical data obtained for the ETFE foil cushions in a comprehensive energy simulation of a generic atrium building using EnergyPlus. Results suggested that switchable ETFE foil cushions have a higher potential to reduce cooling and heating loads in different climatic regions, compared to conventional glazing solutions (i.e. uncoated double-glazing and reflective double-glazing), while providing good conditions of natural daylighting. Annual energy savings of up to 44.9% were predicted for the switchable ETFE foil cushion in comparison to reflective double glazing. As such, this study provides additional insight into the optical behaviour of multilayer foil constructions and the factors of design and environment that potentially have a major impact on buildings energy performance.

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