Soil–structure interaction (SSI), which characterizes the dynamic interaction between a structure and its surrounding soil, is of great significance to the seismic assessment of structures. Past research endeavors have undertaken analytical, numerical, and experimental studies to gain a thorough understanding of the influences of SSI on the seismic responses of a wide array of structures, including but not limited to nuclear power plants, frame structures, bridges, and spatial structures. Thereinto, large-span spatial structures generally have much more complex configurations, and the influences of SSI may be more pronounced. To this end, this paper aims to provide a state-of-the-art review of the SSI in the seismic assessment of large-span spatial structures. It begins with the modelling of soil medium, followed by the research progress of SSI in terms of numerical simulations and experiments. Subsequently, the focus shifts towards high-lighting advancements in understanding the seismic responses of large-span spatial structures considering SSI. Finally, some discussions are made on the unresolved problems and the possible topics for future studies.

Lightweight and flexible membranes offer different façades for buildings (suitability, competitive costs, durability, and other benefits) compared to traditional building materials. Increasing attention is being paid to membrane structures in the civil and industrial sectors. Acquiring response data or environmental characteristics directly from a model or building is the most straightforward approach to analyzing the properties of membrane structures, which also contributes to the development of theoretical studies and simulation methods along with the enactment of specifications. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of membrane structure performance, including mechanical, thermal, and energetic aspects, alongside the deployment and deflation of inflatable types. Furthermore, the devices used to monitor the structural response are summarized. The constitution of the structure is the most critical factor affecting its performance. A proper design would offer enhanced mechanical properties and thermal environments with a reduction in energy consumption. Non-contact measurement technology has the advantage of causing no structural disturbance and is low cost, but it lacks practical application in membrane buildings. The achievements and limitations of previous studies are also discussed. Finally, some potential directions for future work are suggested.

The RC short-pier shear wall structure is a new type of structural system in tall residential buildings. It has been applied in many buildings in China, but its seismic performance is worse than that of normal shear wall structures. Therefore, how to improve its seismic performance becomes a problem which has been paid much attention by engineers. In this paper, the seismic performance of short-pier shear walls with concealed bracing is investigated. An experimental study of four 1:3 scale coupled short-pier shear wall specimens has been carried out, two of which were normal coupled short-pier shear walls, and the other two coupled short-pier shear walls with concealed bracing. Based upon the experimental study, the effects of concealed bracing on the load-carrying capacity, stiffness, ductility, hysteretic behavior, energy dissipation and failure mechanism of shear wall are discussed. It is shown that the seismic performance of short-pier shear walls is greatly improved by concealed bracing. Finally, mechanical models for calculating the load-carrying capacity of the shear wall are proposed, and the theoretical results agree well with those from experiments.

The cable net and membrane of the air-supported membrane structure transmits the load through mutual extrusion, and the contact interaction between the cable net and membrane should be considered in the initial morphological analysis stage. In this paper, a scale model was designed according to a large-span air-supported membrane structure engineering project, and the shape and force of the structure were measured. At the same time, a finite element model of cable–membrane contact was established, and its interaction behavior was regarded as a combined contact state and sliding contact state. The results show that the influence of different contact state analyses on the prestress of the cable net is obvious, and the influence of the sliding contact between the cable and the membrane should be considered in the design of the membrane structure.