However membrane structures were not maximized for their performance. This was partly due to the fact that skins are inherently small, and that the materials available to them were not of high tensile strength. Fabrics were primarily used to an outer skin that drapes over a skeleton structure. The skeleton provides most of the structural performance. The science of tensioned fabric structures was documented and pioneered by Frei Otto starting in 1957.
Tension structures use fabrics as the primarily structural element.
There is no draping over skeletons, rather the tension built up in the fabric membrane surface defines the space while providing shelter and other structural aspects. The study of soap bubbles was significant in the development of this field. Much tension structure follows this metaphor. A limitation of this approach is the inherent assumption that the membrane material is isotropic. Fabrics are not.