A building system comprising a plurality of tubes, a plurality of connection nodes comprising tubular sections for connection to the tubes, wherein the tubes are arranged to connect between the connection nodes to form a frame for a building, wherein at least one continuous cavity is formed through at least a portion of the nodes and tubes when the nodes and tubes are connected, the building system further comprising fluid tight seals between the tubes and connection nodes to enable fluid to flow through the at least one continuous cavity.

A structure is able to be collapsed when tension is not applied to a main tension member. As tension is applied to the main tension member, the tension member aligns and brings tension path components together so as to automatically assemble the tension path components and erect the structure.

A corner fitting may include a male fitting having a convex portion and a female fitting having a concave portion configured complementary to the convex portion. In addition, the corner fitting may include a strap having a strap radius portion and a pair of strap planar portions extending from opposite ends of the strap radius portion. The strap planar portions may be parallel to one another when the strap radius portion is clamped between the convex portion and the concave portion and the corner fitting is viewed from a side, and non-parallel to one another when the corner fitting is viewed from an end.

There is provided a seating device having a group of three or more rigid compression members with successively smaller outer diameters that are sized to form a single nested structure. The seating device further has a seat having three or more seat connection points spaced about a flexible supporting web, a base having three or more base connection points, the three or more base connection points being connected by base tension members, and three or more flexible side tension members. Each compression member is removably engaged between a combination of a selected seat connection point and a selected base connection point, and each side tension member is engaged between a combination of a selected seat connection point and a selected base connection point, the combination of connection points engaged by each side tension member being different than the combination of connection points engaged by each compression member.

An element for thermal insulation between two building parts, particularly between a building (A) and a protruding exterior part (B), comprising an insulating body (2) to be arranged between the two building parts and reinforcement elements in the form of at least tensile elements (3), extending in an installed state of the element (10) essentially horizontally and perpendicular to an essentially horizontal extension of the insulating body through said body, and respectively projecting in the horizontal direction from the insulating body and here allowing a connection to one of the two building parts preferably made from concrete. Here the tensile reinforcement elements (3) are formed as multi-part composite elements such that at least in the proximity of the insulating body (2) they have a central rod section (3a) made from fiber-reinforced synthetic material and have a separate anchoring rod section (3b) in an area outside the insulating body (2) with geometric and/or material characteristics at least partially deviating from the central rod section (3a), with the anchoring rod section (3b) and the central rod section being arranged at least essentially aligned to each other and at least indirectly fixed to each other, and with the anchoring rod section (3b) cooperating with an interior anchoring element for fixing at the central rod section (3a), which interior anchoring element engages a radially interior area of the central rod section. The central rod section (3a) comprises on its radial exterior an annular radial support element and/or a radial support area (3ab) with fibers (3f) extending at least partially in the circumferential direction of the central rod section (3a), with the interior anchoring section (3v) and the radial support area (3ab) at least partially overlapping each other.

An element for thermal insulation between two building parts, including an insulating body to be arranged between the two building parts and reinforcement elements in the form of at least tensile elements, extending in the installed state of the element essentially horizontally and perpendicularly to the essentially horizontal extension of the insulating body through said body, and respectively projecting in the horizontal direction from the insulating body and here allowing a connection to one of the two building parts preferably made from concrete. The tensile reinforcement elements are formed as multi-part composite elements such that at least in the area of the insulating body they exhibit a central section projecting from the insulating body and at least partially being made from fiber-reinforced synthetic material. The tensile reinforcement elements have in an area outside the insulating body at least one anchoring section with geometric and/or material characteristics at least partially deviating from the central section, with the anchoring section being connected to the central section in a connection area. The connection area is arranged distanced from the insulating body. The central section is made from a cylindrical rod-shaped and/or tubular material and is provided on its radial exterior, at least in an area between the insulating body and the connection area, with an essentially smooth wall.

A tension assembly indicates when a desired tension is achieved between two objects connected by the tension assembly. The tension assembly may be attached in series with a tension adjustor between a structure and an anchor, or any other two objects, and include a compressible component and an indication mechanism. As tension between the structure and anchor is adjusted using the tension adjustor, the compressible component adjusts in size, allowing the indicator to indicate whether the current tension is satisfactory. The compressible component includes a spring which, when compressed or expanded, allows the indicator to move toward or away from another indicator. When the indicators are aligned, the desired tension is achieved.

A multi-story boxed wall frame system for reinforcement of multi-story structures includes first and second boxed wall frames disposed one on top of the other and connected together. Each boxed wall frame includes first and second columns, and first and second panel zones attached to the respective first and second columns at their top ends. Each of the panel zones includes yielding members and reinforcing structure at least partially bounding the yielding members. The reinforcing structure is configured to concentrate stresses to within the yielding member. A beam extends between the first and second panel zones in each of the boxed wall frames. The boxed wall frame is configured to resolve external forces into shear force in the yielding member such that the yielding members will yield prior to yielding of the beam and the columns.

The present invention relates a structure comprising rigid elements connected together by interconnecting elements in such a way to form a statically determined or statically over-determined structure, wherein said structure comprises at least one tension element comprising polymeric fibers having a stabilizing creep of at least 0.3% and at most 10% and a minimum creep rate lower than 110.sup.5% per second, said stabilizing creep and minimum creep being measured at a tension of 900 MPa and a temperature of 30 C. The present invention also relates to said structure being a framing structure, preferably a space frame; a suspended body; a platform, preferably a marine platform; or a wheel comprising spokes. Furthermore, the invention relates to the use of polymeric fibers having a stabilizing creep of at least 0.3% and at most 10% and a minimum creep rate lower than 110.sup.5% per second, said stabilizing creep and minimum creep being measured at a tension of 900 MPa and a temperature of 30 C. for a statically determined or statically over-determined structure, preferably for a framing structure, such as a space frame; for a suspended body; for a platform, preferably for a marine platform; or for a wheel comprising spokes.

A corner fitting may include a male fitting having a convex portion and a female fitting having a concave portion configured complementary to the convex portion. In addition, the corner fitting may include a strap having a strap radius portion and a pair of strap planar portions extending from opposite ends of the strap radius portion. The strap planar portions may be parallel to one another when the strap radius portion is clamped between the convex portion and the concave portion and the corner fitting is viewed from a side, and non-parallel to one another when the corner fitting is viewed from an end.