How Air Cushion Technology Works
Every ETFE air cushion roof follows the same underlying logic. Foils are digitally patterned, precision-welded and assembled into sealed cushion modules in a controlled fabrication environment. Once installed onto the primary structural grid, each cushion is inflated with low-pressure air to its design pressure, at which point the taut, pressurised skin behaves as a stiff structural panel rather than a loose membrane. Sensors then maintain that pressure within its operating range around the clock, so the roof continues delivering daylight, weather protection and thermal performance exactly as engineered.
This is fundamentally different from a single tensioned film layer: the inflated air cavity itself becomes part of the structural and thermal system, not just a gap between weathering skins. For architects and engineers evaluating a pneumatic roof or inflatable roof concept, understanding this behaviour is the starting point for every subsequent decision about layer count, cushion geometry and inflation strategy.
