Background

Spantheons have evolved from the well-known Spandome system, which builds clear span, coated fabric membrane structures, with two or more diagonal arches. During the past 40 years Span Systems and its licensees have built hundreds of Spandomes, on four continents.

Spandomes are among the most efficient membrane structures. Wind is causing uplift over almost their entire doubly curved membrane surfaces, but the vertical components of the resulting arch loads are pointing downward, just like snow load. Longer membrane spans have steeper slopes, therefore less snow load. For these, and other reasons, bending moments of the arches are relatively small. Even so, their maximum clear span is less than 300 meters.

Spandome loading pattern	Spandome parking roofs, Budapest, Hungary
Spandome swimming pool, Rota, Spain	Spandome auditorium, Orlando, Florida
Vertically kinetic Spandome built in 1981 for the ENERPLEX alternate energy project