Potential
Deployment of large-scale pleated structures appears to have
been mainly confined to Japan.
However there are a few western proponents.
One of the pioneers of pleated structures has been
David Geiger.
Geiger developed one of the first practical implementations of
a cable network roof.
On Geiger's web site there's an
essay
that discusses pleating.
Horst Berger has also been responsible for creating a number
of pleated structures in the west.
The virtues of the pleating pattern seem to have been
largely ignored in the west. The vast majority
of pleated structures are in Japan.
Many of the pleated structures outside of Japan use the
"radial cable" pattern.
Use of this pattern forces the greatest concentration of
structural elements towards the point where they are least
needed - the zenith - while simultaneously creating a point
of weakness - where there are no significant pleats - at
that point.
Conclusion
I rate pleating as an very important pattern. That makes it
one of the most overlooked important ideas in the western
tensile fabric industry, in my view.
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