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The Denver International Airport terminal features a 1,200 foot long by 240 foot wide tensile membrane structure inspired by the Rocky Mountains. It uses a double layer of fabric reinforced by cables between 34 support masts placed in pairs to span the largest enclosed space by a tensile roof. The translucent roof material admits natural light while reflecting solar heat gain. The airport also leads sustainability efforts through solar power generation and environmental management systems certification.

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Shruti Khopkar
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39 views

Form Active Structure

The Denver International Airport terminal features a 1,200 foot long by 240 foot wide tensile membrane structure inspired by the Rocky Mountains. It uses a double layer of fabric reinforced by cables between 34 support masts placed in pairs to span the largest enclosed space by a tensile roof. The translucent roof material admits natural light while reflecting solar heat gain. The airport also leads sustainability efforts through solar power generation and environmental management systems certification.

Uploaded by

Shruti Khopkar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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DENVER

INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT
Denver, Colorado, United States
1995

SHRUTI KHOPKAR
0901AR181032
Completed in 1994, the iconic "mountain range" of the Jeppesen
Terminal at the Denver International Airport is one of the most
Introduction recognizable tensile membrane structures in the world today.  The
architectural design of this 1,200 foot long by 240 foot wide structure
was done by C. W. Fentress J. H. Bradburn Associates of Denver,
Colorado and was inspired by the Rocky Mountains. 
o An example of using opposing
double cables to reinforce fabric
roofs 
o  The main terminal great hall is
the largest tensile roof structure
enclosing a single space in the
world.
o Fabric was chosen for lightness
and speed of erection as well as
for aesthetic reasons.
o Alluding to the surrounding
snowcapped rocky mountains, the
peaks are created by 34 masts
placed in pairs 45 m apart with
18.3 m between each pair.
 The fabric sag between the
peaks to span 63 m across the
great hall

 The roof is double layer of


fabric both made of Teflon
coated fiberglass

 The 7 mm thick outer layer is


the primary structural layer
while the inner one provides
an additional acoustical
barrier and creates an air
space to reduce heat loss
 As a pioneer in
sustainable design,
Fentress set the
groundwork for an
environmentally
responsible airport
design. 
 Natural daylight bathes the
interior of the terminal via
numerous clerestories, curtain-
walls (with a low-e coating) and
the translucent roof. 
 The roof material allows 10
percent of visible light to pass
through the fabric during the day,
while it reflects 90 percent of solar
radiation in a high-altitude
environment, reducing solar heat
gain.
 The canopy drastically reduces the
need for indoor lighting
during daylight hours, capitalizing
on Denver’s 300 days of sunshine
per year. 
 Afterwards, the airport installed
a “solar farm” with 9,000
panels producing 3.5 million
kilowatts of electricity. 
 And Denver can claim two firsts
in the area of sustainability: It
is the first airport on the EPA’s
Environmental Track Program,
and the first airport to design
and implement an
environmental management
systems program in the United
States that meets the rigorous
International Organization for
Standardization
14001 International Certification
Standard. 
 In short, Denver’s airport leads
the industry for sustainability
at airports nationwide.
 https://issuu.com/ebtissammohamedfarid/docs/theories_3_week2
_form_active_system/37
BIBLIOGRAPHY  https://www.architonic.com/en/project/fentress-architects-denver
-international-airport/5100647
 https://www.ndnsoftware.com/denver-international-airport.html

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