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Air-Supported Structures Guide

Air-supported structures derive their structural integrity from pressurized air inflating a pliable fabric envelope, with the air as the main support. David Geiger implemented the concept on a large scale for the US pavilion at Expo '70. To maintain structure, internal pressure must equal or exceed external pressure from wind or snow. Access is through airlocks, and structures are secured by anchors and stabilization cables for wide spans. Uses include sports facilities, warehouses, and radomes.

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Gimelle Butas
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166 views2 pages

Air-Supported Structures Guide

Air-supported structures derive their structural integrity from pressurized air inflating a pliable fabric envelope, with the air as the main support. David Geiger implemented the concept on a large scale for the US pavilion at Expo '70. To maintain structure, internal pressure must equal or exceed external pressure from wind or snow. Access is through airlocks, and structures are secured by anchors and stabilization cables for wide spans. Uses include sports facilities, warehouses, and radomes.

Uploaded by

Gimelle Butas
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

AIR-SUPPORTED STRUCTURES

is any building that derives its


structural integrity from the use of
internal pressurized air to inflate a
pliable material (i.e. structural fabric)
envelope, so that air is the main
support of the structure, and where
access is via airlocks.
The concept was implemented on a
large scale by David H. Geiger with the
United States pavilion at Expo '70 in
Osaka, Japan in 1970.

Dome-shaped structure

To maintain structural integrity, the


structure must be pressurized such
that the internal pressure equals or
exceeds any external pressure being
applied to the structure (i.e. wind
pressure).

Does not have to be airtight to retain


structural integrity

All access to the structure interior must


be equipped with some form of airlock

Secured by heavy weights on the


ground, ground anchors, attached to a
foundation, or a combination of these.

Among its many uses are: sports and


recreation facilities, warehousing,
temporary shelters, and radomes.

Either wholly, partial, or roof-only air


supported. A fully air-supported
structure can be intended to be a
temporary or semi-temporary facility or
permanent, whereas a structure with
only an air-supported roof can be built
as a permanent building.

The shape of an air-supported structure


is limited by the need to have the
whole envelope surface evenly
pressurized. If this is not the case, the
structure will be unevenly supported,
creating wrinkles and stress points in
the pliable envelope which in turn may
cause it to fail.

STRUCTURE:

The main loads acting against the airsupported envelope are internal air
pressure, wind, or weight from snow
build-up.

To compensate against wind force and


snow load, the structure's inflation is
adjusted accordingly.

For wide span structures cables are


required for anchoring and
stabilization. Anchoring requires ballast
(weights).

MATERIAL:

Fibreglass and Polyester to prevent


deterioration from moisture and
ultraviolet radiation, these materials
are coated with polymers such as PVC
and Teflon.

ADVANTAGES :

lower initial cost


Lower operating costs due to simplicity
of design
Easy and quick to set up, dismantle,
and relocate
Unobstructed open interior space
Able to cover almost any project
Custom fabric colors and sizes,
including translucent fabric, allowing
natural sunlight in

DISADVANTAGES:

Continuous operation of fans to


maintain pressure, often requiring
redundancy or emergency power
supply.
Dome collapses when pressure lost or
fabric compromised
Cannot reach the insulation values of
hard-walled structures, increasing
heating/cooling costs
Limited load-carrying capacity
Conventional buildings have longer
lifespan

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