Are Tents Classed as Architecture?

As the Glastonbury Festival is now well underway with a sea of all variety of tents, we ask the question 'are tents classed as architecture' as they are not really buildings? Well the simple answer is a big YES! Tents may be lightweight and portable, but they are effectively Tensile Structure when in place, and come in all manner of shapes and sizes. The simplicity of a structure that can be rolled-up and carried in a bag, and then with the assistance of some flexible rods, cables and pegs can become a weatherproof structure protecting us from the extremes of wind and rain, probably exhibits the purist form of design and construction. Here are a few examples of the flexibility of tent design and usage:

The beauty of tents are the variety, flexibility and in most cases affordability of these temporary structure. Whether it is for hundreds of thousands of festival-goers over a long weekend, or to house displaced communities for many months at times of natural disaster, the tent is the go-to put-me-up house. Beyond domestic-scale the opportunities for more permanent structures are also extensive, over the coming days we will highlight some of the ways in which cables, posts and stretched fabrics can be utilised to create great spaces.