Air Supported Membrane Structure Applications for Large-Scale Disaster Response Shelters

Air-supported membrane structures can potentially offer important and unique advantages as emergency shelters and community service facility applications. Key among these benefit features are that they can be transported to remote locations in small, lightweight packages; they can be rapidly deployed at the site without large construction equipment, special tools or skills; and they can provide spacious, environmentally-protected interior volumes that are versatile and can be adapted for a variety of needs. This paper will present a variety of systems concepts, including an example of a large-scale air-supported membrane structure that is applicable for providing emergency shelter for community groups and support accommodations exceeding capacities of conventional module approaches. This work is part of an ongoing design exploration study that is being undertaken at the University of Houston's Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture (SICSA).