Air dome

Schematic structure of an air dome

Tennis air dome at night

Ice rink in Augsburg-Haunstetten (condition until 2007)

Air dome in the GDR: Provisional basketball and volleyball hall of the DHfK in Leipzig in 1968

An air dome, also called a pneu , is an elastic, airtight envelope inflated over a solid floor slab (usually made of concrete or tartan ) . The hall is entered via a pressure lock. A fan has to work constantly to maintain the slight overpressure inside the air dome.

Air domes are cheaper and faster to build than massive halls. They are therefore often used as temporary for warehouses , exhibition halls or gymnasiums used, as well as temporary dormitories at major events and as a shelter for the homeless or refugees. With an air dome, an outdoor pool can be converted into an indoor air pool in winter . Air domes are also used as a radome .

Construction methods

Like many inflateables, the roof shells of inflatable halls are built from an airtight textile tarpaulin coated with watering. Typical materials are polyester for the fabric and PVC or polyurethane for the air-retaining component of the composite.

Single layer cover

The simplest construction consists of sheets of tarpaulin that are welded in a suitable cut and inflated in one layer. The heating requirement is comparatively high, as is the tendency for condensation to form on the inside.

Two-layer cover

Roof shells made of tarpaulin in two layers insulate through the enclosed air cushion of a few centimeters thick.

Three-layer cover

The structure typically contains a network of steel cables on the outside.

ground

If there is not already an airtight floor, a floor structure can be made from panels, airtight foil and artificial turf.

Manufacturing and operation

The particular advantage of an air dome is the production time of a few weeks, erection within a day and the fact that it can be dismantled in just as short a time.

The construction costs are only about a tenth of a hall with solid walls and roof.

Even when it is not heated, an air dome permanently needs a fan to operate, in particular to ensure wind stability. An emergency power generator is useful to compensate for a failure of the power grid.

If no continuous floor slab is concreted, at least one foundation strip must be erected along the floor contour of the hall for firm anchoring.

The service life of a two-layer air dome is specified by the manufacturer Duol as at least 40 years.

Examples

Germany

The 49 meter diameter, listed Radom Raisting in Raisting am Ammersee houses an antenna 25 meters in diameter for satellite communication.
An air dome measuring 101.40 by 63 meters roofs a field hockey pitch at the Mannheim Hockey Club in Mannheim , at a height of 15 meters.
One of the most famous German air domes was the ice rink in the Augsburg district Haunstetten . The ice rink has been covered again since November 2009, but no longer with a flexible outer skin, but with a stable construction made of metal plates.
In 1972 hurricane Quimburga severely damaged an air dome at the construction site of the Berlin State Library , which housed books, and one at the Hanomag-Henschel factory site in Kassel, where cars were damaged by trees and roof tiles.
In the GDR, the air halls had a tradition. They were produced, used and also exported on a large scale. They were to be found in many places, e.g. B. as sports and training halls, as production and storage halls, even in agriculture. Most of them are made of Malimo-sewn fabric. For the most part, the halls were also exported. B. used as hospitals in Africa;
See also : Malimo # history and use

Austria

On October 13, 2014, a thermally insulated air dome with 4 adjacent tennis courts opened in Vienna at the Hohe Warte Stadium. The lights are ceiling-mounted, part of which is suspended from the ceiling.
At the end of October a new air dome for 3 tennis courts was built in Amstetten, which is typically operated from the beginning of October to mid-April and is to be dismantled over the summer to save operating costs over the summer. The steel cable network overlying the shell is anchored all around to a concrete foundation.
In the course of the refugee crisis in 2015 , the Tyrolean Social Services (TSD) of the State of Tyrol bought 5 air dwellings as temporary accommodation. A loan of € 6 million was granted for this. One hall was set up and occupied in Hall , one in Innsbruck-Arzl was set up but not occupied, three were not unpacked. In 2017, the 4 unused halls were purchased by the state for € 60,000 each and given away to humanitarian organizations abroad.
On November 12, 1975, an air dome built for the 1976 Olympic Games in Innsbruck was almost completely destroyed by a storm.

Eastern European countries

In countries of the former Eastern Bloc in particular, tennis halls are often inexpensive as inflatable halls.

Other countries

One of the largest air halls in the world is the Tokyo Dome , which opened in 1988 in Tokyo 's Bunkyō district . The 56 meter high structure offers space for 55,000 guests. It is used as a baseball stadium and for events.

The air-supported roof structure of the Metrodome in Minneapolis (USA) had an extremely large area of around 4 hectares. On December 11, 2010, it collapsed under a thick blanket of snow that could not be cleared under the conditions of a strong snow storm .

A unique air dome in the United Arab Emirates is the Kooradome in Dubai , which withstands the extreme conditions of the desert with special thermal insulation .

Air-supported roof

The air-supported roof is derived from the air dome. In this case, the elastic shell, shaped with excess pressure, forms the roof of a conventionally designed building . Compared to the air dome, this construction allows larger and less wind-sensitive buildings to be erected that do not require a fixed roof structure .

Large accommodation

In February 2016 in Hall in Tirol , Zollstrasse, Austria's first air dome was built as a quarter for 240 refugees . Another inflated one was set up in Innsbruck-Arzl in January 2016, but was not occupied until June. The state of Tyrol bought a total of five such halls as of 2015 due to the influx of refugees . These should also be available in the event of disasters. In Germany, this technology was used for large quarters at the beginning of 2014, at that time for the homeless in Berlin.

Individual evidence

↑ Centaury +: Double-layer inflatable halls manufacturer Centaury Plus sro, Slovakia, airdomes.sk, accessed November 9, 2017. - With a 24-picture series of building a hall.

↑ Duol - Office Germany, accessed November 9, 2017. - Picture gallery of reference objects .

↑ Construction of the air dome for the Mannheim Hockey Club. In: morgenweb.de. Retrieved April 10, 2015 .

↑ One of the most modern air tennis halls in Europe will open just in time for the winter season! meinviertel.at, September 30, 2014, accessed November 9, 2017.

↑ taf tennis academy Fellner Zandomeneghi OG tel. Information on November 9, 2017.

↑ Air domes now belong to the state orf.at, November 9, 2017, accessed November 9, 2017

↑ November 12, 2010 weather calendar, zamg.ac.at, accessed November 9, 2017.