A lightweight structure for space application is deployable from a compact bundle of interconnected struts into a plurality of tiled substantially rectangular bays. Each bay preferably comprises four or six hinged strut members having substantially rectangular cross sections, such that a solar or other suitable blanket may be compactly nested within the bundled struts. In one aspect of the invention, the blanket is attached to two opposed strut members of a six-member strut bundle, such that the blanket is unfolded during deployment of the strut bundle into a substantially rectangular bay. In another aspect of the invention, the blanket is attached to, and held against, a single strut in a strut bundle. After the strut bundle is deployed into a substantially rectangular bay, the blanket is spread across the bay via a cable mechanism or other deployment mechanism.