This issue of Steel Construction contains contributions not only regarding steel structures, but also regarding membrane structures. Membrane structures are lightweight tensile structures, which are typically constructed either from woven textiles – usually PET/PVC or glass/PTFE fabrics – or from ETFE-foils, often used as roofing or façade systems, frequently in combination with complex cable-supported structures. The main supporting structures are often made of steel as well. Tensile structures are inherently climate-positive: they require fewer raw materials, can be easily dismantled, and their structural elements can be reused. Adaptive skins can further enhance their performance by opening and closing in response to daylight, temperature or wind. The lightweight nature of tensile systems is one of their key advantages. Using less material means consuming fewer resources which is fully in line with the urgent need for the construction industry to rethink ‘business as usual'. This rather young type of construction lacked for decades of design and execution rules as well as product standards. Initiated by the TensiNet Association in 2008, intensive work has been carried out on European level since then to develop a first Technical Specification, CEN/TS 19102 titled “Design of tensioned membrane structures” which was finally published in 2024. CEN/TS 19102 contains not only provisions for the design of membrane structures based on the semi-probabilistic design concept of the Eurocodes, as the title suggests, but also defines requirements for the products themselves, technical fabrics and foils, supplemented by test specifications and guidance on the execution of membrane structures, thereby representing the current state of the art. Herewith, CEN/TS 19102 serves now as the basis for the further development of a future Eurocode for membrane structures. Work on this began immediately after publishing of CEN/TS 19102 and is currently still going on, once again with the active participation of members of various national standardization committees. In future, the plan is to convert the Technical Specification into a Eurocode for the design of membrane structures and a separate part dealing with the execution, taking into account ongoing developments in the field of membrane structures. Furthermore, the aim is to develop - for the first time - product standards for technical fabrics and foils to be used in architectural membrane structures. I would like to invite those you who are fascinated of membrane structures to get deeper in touch with them by attending the upcoming joined 8th TensiNet Symposium 2026 & Essener Membranbau Symposium 2026 which will take place on 30 September to 2 October 2026 at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany. The symposium is dedicated to the latest developments in tensile architecture and membrane structures with the overall objective: “Shaping the pathway to future tensioned membrane design”. I hope that readers of this issue of Steel Construction will not only gain new insights but also enjoy reading it! Natalie Stranghöner
Natalie Stranghöner (Fri,) studied this question.