The roof of Tokyo Dome, Japan's largest indoor stadium, is a thin membrane supported by air pressure. This design, which allows large pillar-free interiors, debuted at the US Pavilion of the 1970 Osaka Expo. Advances in technology now allow permanent membrane roofs, and architects are utilizing them in adventurous designs like the umbrella canopies of a plaza in Saudi Arabia and the spectacular dome of Expo 2020 Dubai. Membrane technology is also proving highly effective in medicine and disaster mitigation.

Video by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan