History
Ancient long span structures (before 1925):
The only materials available in ancient times:
Timber
Masonry made of stone (vulnerable in tension and bending)
Masonry of bricks made of clay (also vulnerable in tension and bending)
Construction of an arch system
Remarque :
Reaching long spans in such constructions = EXTREMELY DIFFICULT!
ONLY POSSIBILITY: via the arch-and-vault systems (i.e., palaces) working in compression only
Later ancient space structures (between 1920 and 1975)
Airship hangar US Navy-New Jersey -79 m span in 1922
Modern space structures (after 1970)
Comprehensive Gymnasium of Seoul Olympic Games = first cable-dome in the world designed by the American engineer Geiger in 1975