Mass to Membrane - by Nicholas Goldsmith (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

In Western culture, from an early age we are ingrained with the notion that weight in building construction equals strength as evinced even in children's stories such as the "The Three Little Pigs." This idea of the relative strength of mass pervades our culture as a fundamental truth, but heavy materials are not intrinsically stronger than lighter ones. While time will be needed to remove the biases that we carry in our cultural DNA, our perception of strength has begun to shift. If we look at the historical evolution of architecture--from the massive pyramids of Egypt to the framed structures of Greek and Roman construction, to the lighter Gothic vaulting and eventually modern architecture of the twentieth century--we see a continuous, almost linear progression from solid mass construction to diaphanous skins of glass and steel. This is our historic journey from mass to membrane. In Mass to Membrane, Nic Goldsmith presents the continuing evolution of building materials, from heavy stone structures to luminous, lightweight, flexible, and environmentally responsible structures. Through nine narrative chapters and samples from Goldsmith's own extensive portfolio of lightweight tensile structures, the book explores how we can use less material and be more sustainable through the use of new composite materials, computation analysis and digital patterning.

Review Quotes

"Anyone who thinks that heavy, sturdy materials determine the strength of a building clearly aren't familiar yet with the designs of Nic Goldsmith. In this book Goldsmith takes the reader on an inspiring journey through the history of architecture and the evolution from mass to membrane, from solid to thin and airy structures." --IMAGICASA

"Nicholas "Nic" Goldsmith, FAIA, has been a major player for more than 40 years in the development of fabric architecture in North America and around the globe through his leadership of the innovative architectural/engineering firm FTL Design Engineering Studio, based in New York City." --Fabric Architecture

Nic Goldsmith's Mass to Membrane reads as lightly and succinctly as his architecture. It is both a basic and reflective text on the history and evolution of lightweight, membrane-covered tensegrity structures and an architect's diary of creative problem-solving on the cutting edge of emerging new technologies. Starting with the earliest membrane structures: traditional American Indian teepees, Bedouin goat-hair tents, and Mongolian yurts, Goldsmith journeys over 4,000 years to acoustically refined and portable concert halls, to an iconic urban landmark: the luminous roof of the Rosa Parks transit center in Detroit, to a moveable and energy-efficient skyscraper. And for all its sophisticated scientific engineering, he also shows readers pure mathematic beauty: as in the delightful shade-providing canopy in the Sky Song plaza at Arizona State University. In all, across 40 years of award-winning international practice, Goldsmith's Mass and Membrane is a journey of the human imagination that reveals ethereal and economic options for a more sustainable future. By Anthony M. Tung author of Preserving the World's Great Cities--Anthony M. Tung