Buildings Made Out of Air

Yes you heard that right. We can make buildings out of air. To an architect or engineer these are pneumatic structures. Thay can stand alone or be inhabited on their interior. The membrane of these types of structures is stabalized through the use of compressed air. Check out some of these awesome structures from around the world!

Inflatable Done

Thomas Herzig, Vienna Austria

The dome is created with inflatable elements that can be assembled in a variety of forms. Zippers act as connectors between them. Herzig envisioned that the dome could be used in a wide range of applications such as emergency housing, semi permanent command centers for crisis organizations, indoor sports etc...
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Thirst Pavilion

Cloud 9, Zaragoza Spain 

This pavilion was commissioned for the Expo Zaragoza in 2008. The concept for the design was the molecular structure of a grain of salt. The pavilions membrane is made out of 3 layers of ETFE which block out the intense Spanish heat, making the building climate controlled.
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Rubber Duck 

Florentijn Hofman

This giant floating rubber duck knows no bounds and goes where it pleases. He has been spotted in Kaohsiung, Taoyuan, Bejing, Pittsburg, baku, Hong Kong, Sydney, Auckland, Hasselt, Osaka, San Paulo, and many more...
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The Eden Project 

Grimshaw Partners, Cornwall UK

The Eden Project is located in an old Kaolinite Pit in the UK. Each dome enclosure emulates a different biome enviorment, enabling it to house plant species from around the would. The domes are created using a hexagonal and pentagonal grid of ETFE cells.
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Tea House

Kengo Kuma & Associates, Frankfurt Germany

As a form of living architecture, the tea house "breathes". The architecture inhales and exhales, growing and shriking in size. The double membrane was created using Tenara, allowing it to expand and contract with each breath.
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Tokyo Dome 

Tokyo Dome Corporation, Tokyo

The Tokyo Dome is an air supported roof, the flexible structure is held up by the pressurized air within the stadium. The air pressure inside the dome is 0.3% higher than the outside air. This difference is hardly delectable by the human body.