Full project name: COST Action TU 1303 - NOVEL STRUCTURAL SKINS - Improving sustainability and efficiency through new structural textile materials and designs
Period: 2013 - 2017
Funding Body: European Union’s Framework Programme Horizon 2020, COST - European Cooperation in Science & Technology
Project Number: COST Action, Transport and Urban Development (TUD) TU1303
Polimi reference Person: Alessandra Zanelli, Carol Monticelli
Coordinators of the WG2 - Sustainability and life cycle analysis of structural skins
Members of: WG 1 - New applications of structural skins and new concepts and WG3 - Building physics and energy performance of structural skins
The urban built environment is being transformed by building skins derived from textile architecture. Working from a basis of tensioned membranes, these highly efficient structural forms are now being integrated with multi-disciplinary technologies to form new multi-functional systems that address the needs and global challenges of the urban built environment. The rapid emergence of lightweight building skins is in response to factors associated with climate change, energy, and workplace health and well-being, and is directly linked to advances in material development, analysis tools, and skills in design. These advances, led by European organisations, universities, companies, and SMEs, have, however, been somewhat fragmented. There is now a need to synthesise the current innovations and technologies from which to establish a platform on which the development of new advancements, products, and applications can be stimulated and produced.
The aim of the COST Action “Novel Structural Skins” is to build a coalition of researchers, academics, architects, engineers, contractors, asset owners, and policy makers that creates this platform. It will be achieved through the sharing of expertise, techniques, facilities and data, by establishing technical consensus, and developing European standardisation for the analysis, design, and realisation of multi-functional building skins.
The aim of the Action is: (i) to standardise the material and structural testing and analysis approaches within Europe, to inform the design of safer and more efficient structures; (ii) to harmonise the research on membrane and foil structural skins; (iii) to collate harmonised data and tools on energy performance and Life Cycle Analysis and (iv) to stimulate and deliver innovation and development of new structural skin products, adaptable systems and durable applications in the urban environment.
Five Strategic Research Clusters are defined that focus on innovation, sustainability, energy efficiency, material analysis and standardisation of novel structural skins. Each SRC managed by the corresponding Working Group (WG):
WG1 - New applications of structural skins and new concepts (Adaptables, Bending Active, Fabric
Formwork)
WG2 - Sustainability and life cycle analysis of structural skins
WG3 - Building physics and energy performance of structural skins
WG4 - Materials and analysis
WG5 - From material to structure and limit states: codes and standardisation