Inflatable Architecture: Pneumatic Structures Transforming Built Environments
As society, technology, and architecture have evolved, designers and architects have embraced novel construction systems and innovative approaches to reshape the built environment. This advancement has stretched the boundaries of traditional construction techniques and ignited fresh ideas in building design.
From left to right: Airship Orchestra / ENESS / The 2018 Antepavilion / Floating Pavilion / Daxing Jizi Design © Ben Weinstein / Jim Stephenson / Chao Zhang. Image © Ben Weinstein / Jim Stephenson / Chao Zhang
As society, technology, and architecture have evolved, designers and architects have embraced novel construction systems and innovative approaches to reshape the built environment. This advancement has stretched the boundaries of traditional construction techniques and ignited fresh ideas in building design.
In the past, some architects and artists aimed to question an architectural paradigm deeply entrenched in anthropocentrism. Historically, architecture has been linked to the notion that buildings, being conceived by human beings, must be extremely durable, even imperishable. Considering the principle that the best intervention is the least intrusive, inflatable architecture, in contrast to these human-centric viewpoints —but aligned to our ephemeral nature—, can propose structures that may exist one day and vanish the next, leaving a temporal imprint on the landscape. This architectural approach uses textiles as the primary material and air as the structural system, potentially challenging the traditional Vitruvian ideals of Venustas, Firmitas, and Utilitas.
