The Umbra Pavilion : A lightweight shading structure composed of Heliotextile and a cable net

Abstract This paper presents the design and construction process of the Umbra Pavilion , a lightweight textile shading structure designed in collaboration with the municipality of Arnhem (The Netherlands). The pavilion is first presented at the Dutch Design Week 2025 in Eindhoven (The Netherlands). The textile parts of the structure are made of Heliotextile, an architectural textile that is currently being developed by Studio Pauline van Dongen and Tentech BV. The pavilion consists of a steel cable net structure, a flexible tensioned steel cable system, which supports the newly developed textile panels. The cable net is supported by three steel columns and is designed to follow a U‐shape. The U‐shape is highlighted by concrete slabs which are used as foundation blocks for the pavilion. The cable net is the primary load‐bearing structure of the pavilion. Therefore, assembly begins with installing the cable net, after which the Heliotextile panels are attached one‐by one to the load‐bearing structure to complete the pavilion. When the structure is loaded due to wind, the Heliotextile panels will transfer the forces to the cable net, which will transfer them to the foundation. The development of the Umbra Pavilion encountered some design challenges regarding the desired shape of the pavilion, activating all parts of the foundation, complex steel nodes and the size and shape of the fabric panels. Overcoming these challenges resulted in the first application of Heliotextile at architectural scale.