Roofs of prestressed concrete membranes

Prestressed membrane roofs have been designed since the invention of prestressed concrete. They are described in the basic books written by pioneers of prestressed concrete. For illustration, four architecturally most successful roofs are discussed. The authors emphasize that the prestressed membrane roofs are still modern, structurally efficient, and architecturally interesting. If they are assembled of precast members, they can be erected without scaffolding. Recently, the authors have studied different membrane structures from the point of view of their architectural and structural arrangement, process of erection, and static and dynamic behavior. In‐depth studies were carried out for membranes of simple curvature situated above the whole or portion of the rectangle area and self‐anchored membranes supported by arches or shells. Also self‐anchored suspension membranes situated above circular or elliptical plans, hypar membranes, and membranes of a free form that are suspended on arches or suspension cables were analyzed.