A demonstration pilot using the HyperMembrane technology has been installed at Santa & Cole facilities at the Belloch Park located in Cardedeu (Barcelona). This prototype constitutes the proof of success of the finished HYPERMEMBRANE-DEMO project within the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme, consisting of the demonstration of an adaptable structure for architectural applications. The consortium was composed by CIMNE, Buildair, Eurecat, GDP, Comfil and coordinated by Eurocont.

The HyperMembrane concept created by the architects Sylvia Felipe and Jordi Truco (Eurocont) consists on a structural adaptable system able to stand in multiple equilibrium positions depending on the final configuration that the end user needs. The way the system adapts its shape to different positions is based on:

• Elastic properties of thermoplastic composites comprising the strips,
• the shape of these strips,
• the way they are joined together and
• the possibility of modifying the elongation of the connecting elements (so called actuators).

The Industrial Processes Group of CIMNE was mainly responsible of the mechanical validation of all the components as well as the structural analysis of the global structure through the use of the software package specially developed in collaboration with Buildair within this project. The digital tool, which also allows the morphological control of the physical system, is based on GiD as pre and postprocessor, and Compack as finite element analysis code for the simulation of composite materials.