The cell envelope of Gram-negative bacteria is a highly dynamic, multi-layered structure that must remain mechanically robust while accommodating growth, environmental fluctuations and envelope stress. How this complex system preserves its integrity despite constant remodeling remains poorly understood. In my lecture, I will discuss recent work from our laboratory uncovering mechanistic principles that coordinate outer membrane assembly, quality control and mechanical stability. We show that physical connections between the outer membrane and peptidoglycan are essential to sustain periplasmic turgor pressure, thereby preventing envelope failure under hypoosmotic stress. I will further present our work uncovering how outer membrane assembly is functionally coupled to quality control and stress signaling pathways. Together, these findings reveal how mechanical forces, assembly machineries and surveillance pathways are integrated to preserve envelope function and bacterial viability.