UCL Bartlett School of Architecture Lecture: Building with Air

This lecture explores the development of pneumatic formwork and the construction of a hemispherical reinforced concrete shell using a giant balloon. It reflects on the relationship between labour, time, materials and form in one of the most unusual structural methods in modern architecture.

Dr Will McLean situates the story within wider questions about architectural technology, thin-shell construction and the possibilities of building with inflatable membranes. The lecture is part of the Constructing Realities series at the Bartlett School of Architecture, where speakers examine how design, engineering and making combine to shape the built environment.