Inflatable membrane structure is a new building structure and an important branch of light space structure. It has colorful shapes and superior architectural and structural characteristics. It is mainly divided into tension membrane structure, skeleton membrane structure, inflatable membrane structure and cable truss membrane structure. Inflatable membrane structure is a relatively closed space structure. Different from the traditional space structure building, it blows air into the structure through the fan to keep a certain pressure difference between the inside and outside of the membrane structure, thus ensuring the rigidity of the membrane structure system and maintaining the designed shape. At the same time, the pressure control system can maintain a certain internal and external pressure of the structure and ensure the stability of the structure. 19 17, W. Lanchester of England invented an inflatable membrane structure as the roof of the right outer courtyard building, which is a convenient and economical roof system, but he did not build it himself. 1946, Englishman Walter bird built the first modern inflatable membrane structure-Doppler radome, with a diameter of15m and a rise of18.3m. The membrane material was neoprene and covered with glass fiber. From 1950 to 1970, the United States, Germany and other places have built a large number of similar domes with the maximum diameter of 60 m. The Osaka World Expo (1970) in Japan provided an opportunity for the development of membrane structures. Because there are many earthquakes in Japan, the exhibition halls are mostly located in low-grade soft soil, so light structural system should be adopted. The structural design of the USA Pavilion was completed by David Geiger, and a large-span and low-profile inflatable membrane structure with a plane of 139m×78m was built for the first time.

From 1972 to 1984, designed by David Geiger, Birdair Company built seven giant inflatable membrane structures in the United States, including a silver dome (220m× 159m), but most of them proved to be difficult to effectively resist the harsh weather conditions. 1988, Japan built the Tokyo Dome. Although the inflatable membrane structure technology has reached a new level, since then, no huge inflatable membrane structure buildings have been built around the world.