Statement of the Jury

The idea of using sufficiently strong and not significantly stretchable textile membranes as shaping formwork for the manufacture of shell structures on the construction site is promising. This applies under the prerequisite that the material of the shell has a defined consistency during installation which is between tolerable limits. The idea of using mechanically pre-tensioned membranes (anticlastic surfaces) or air-inflated pneumatically pre-tensioned membranes (synclastic surfaces) as formwork is not unknown. However, the method offers potential for the optimization of manufacturing methods for shell structures and, therefore, for saving energy and time. The design language resulting from such membrane formworks would be always fascinating and statically advantageous.