Giraldo, M. (2012). Design parameters of membrane structures and their influence on costs : discussion of design parameters in the design phase and evaluation by means of geometry studies [Master Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://resolver.obvsg.at/urn:nbn:at:at-ubtuw:1-59822
Architectural design is mainly driven by the available budget. Therefore it is beneficial for designers to know, how to control the costs with the help of their design. Those basic decisions at the very beginning of a project build the foundations for its (commercial and technical) success. In this thesis only the design phase is taken into account. At this stage the controllable parameters are merely geometric; the location of the fixation points, the curvature of membrane and edges and the layout of the fixation points. On basis of a simple four-point sail three independent design studies have been performed. Different design parameters were altered to analyze their effect on the costs. Therefore every sail was run a full predesign, considering the textile material, the primary and secondary steel structure as well as the foundations. The found dimensions were the basis for cost estimations. The studies showed the costs are directly proportional to the reaction forces which rise exponentially the smaller (e.g.) the curvature gets. Charts of the cost shares of the individual building components illustrated that primary steel, guy cables and foundations respectively anchoring have the biggest potential for cost optimization. This thesis should point the direction and be the basis for further investigations on this subject. The final target could be a design guide that discusses the structural behavior of different geometries including their correlation with the costs. Only, for a book like this more research work is required. Especially the potential of design parameters in later project phases or other geometries but hyper sails would be of big value.