Concrete domes and shells 50 meters in diameter or even larger could be built using inflatable forms for half the cost and could be used to contain...

When concrete shells are constructed, they usually have to be supported by elaborate timber structures. A revolutionary technique developed at the Vienna University of Technology now uses inflatable air cushions instead.

Large shell structures made of concrete or stone are hardly ever built any more. The reason is that their construction requires large, expensive supporting structures. At the Vienna University of Technology, a completely new construction method has been developed, which does not require any timber structures at all: a flat concrete slab hardens on the ground, and then an air cushion below the plate is inflated, bending the concrete and quickly forming a sustainable shell. Even large event halls could be built this way. In Vienna, a first experimental structure has now been built using the new method.

In the experiment, a 9.5-foot dome was built in about two hours.

Kollegger said the method could be used to build shells with a diameter of 50 meters.

He added: “As the new construction method renders timber structures obsolete, it not only helps to save time and resources, it also saves a lot of money.

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