Where do I buy architectureal tension fabric, and how much does it cost?

Question

I'm an engineering student looking to design an aesthetically pleasing but durable light weight portable structure with tension fabric and a pvc pipe frame, but I'm not sure where to purchase architectural tension fabric. The structure needs to be large enough that it can comfortably house two individuals, but small enough that it could be erected by hand, so I'm thinking about 500 square feet of floor space and 10 to 12ft of verticle clearance would be ideal. Does anyone have a ballpark idea of how much something like that would cost? Any advice would be appreciated, and I am certainly open to suggestions for alternative materials if you feel these wouldn't be ideal for the application.

-Thanks
-James

Answer 1

Tyvek, the building wrap, not the clothing is a good choice for the tension fabric. PVC pipe is easy to assemble and corrosion proof, but has lousy strength-to weight ratio. If you don't want to use metal and weight is an important criterion use fiberglass tubing or shapes.
A hoop-type greenhouse, double-wall polyfilm on metal hoops, is about $1000 for materials in the size range you want.

Answer 2

You might look into large nylon tarp.s.
They can be purchased in appropriate
stock sizes, and already have grommets
on the sides for lacing to your support tubes.
(If you're going 10-12Ft. high, you're going to
have to give some serious though to wind loads.)

Answer 3

maybe a place to start:
http://www.textileworld.com/News.htm?CD=2137&ID=6063

I never heard about Tyvek in anything other than protective clothing. It doesn't hold up too well in that situation in my experience. I suppose if your not wearing it and being rough on it all the time though...

Answer 4

I would try Tyvek. It is very strong and durable. I wouldnt build it that tall though. You would always have to bring a ladder with you to build it.