This book addresses the development towards the urban use of membrane and cable-net structures. Through the study of conventional historical examples which also have non-linear geometric, the authors show how traditional buildings can be used as an inspirational source when searching for ways to combine rectilinear and curvilinear forms.

Included in the book are case studies on:

The Grande Arche de la Defense in Paris
The Imagination building in London
The German pavilion in Seville
The Diplomatic Club in Riyadh and many more.

These projects have contributed to the idea of the urban use of tensile architecture, though not all of them are necessarily buildings within an urban context. The authors throw light on the process of designing and detailing fully enclosed tensile buildings for those who have been frustrated through a lack of opportunity to gain technical knowledge of the subject.