It is inevitable that heavy, static structures come to mind when we think of architecture. However, columns, beams, and slabs are by no means the only elements that define it.
Pneumatic architecture is characterized by lightweight, flexible materials supported on fixed bases. Due to their lightweight nature, these structures cannot support themselves on their own; instead, they span openings through the injection of air. In other words, they are structures shaped by pneumatic membranes inflated by air systems that operate much like a hot-air balloon or historic zeppelins filled with a gas less dense than air. These systems fall into two main categories: those supported by internal air pressure and those stiffened by it.
Historically, this concept was brought into the architectural field in the 1970s by the Viennese collective Haus-Rucker-Co. Alongside other independent collectives that questioned contemporary production and dared to criticize, provoke, and redefine established concepts, they forged a vision—then considered utopian—combining architecture, technology, and psychology. A prominent example is the Oase Nr. project, a spherical, pneumatic, inflatable structure attached to an existing building. Built during Documenta 5—the highly influential art exhibition held in October 1972 in Kassel, Germany—it created a space for contemplation.
