An air-supported structure is any building that derives its structural integrity from the use of internal pressurized air to inflate a pliable material envelope, so that air is the main support of the structure, and where access is via airlocks.
Air-supported dome used as a sports and recreation venue
The interior of the Tokyo Dome exemplifies how large an area can be spanned with an air-supported roof.
In structural engineering, a tensile structure is a construction of elements carrying only tension and no compression or bending. The term tensile should not be confused with tensegrity, which is a structural form with both tension and compression elements. Tensile structures are the most common type of thin-shell structures.
The world's first tensile steel shell by Vladimir Shukhov (during construction), Nizhny Novgorod, 1895
The Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Kings Domain, Melbourne
The Olympiastadion in Munich makes extensive use of tensile roofing structures.
Frei Otto tensile structures for the Munich 72 Olympic Games, Germany.