Air-Supported Structures
Shelter-Rite® Applications & Case Histories

An air-supported structure utilizes an architectural fabric skin that is inflated by internal air pressure. Because there is no internal frame, the structure consists of only a fabric skin and a blower system that creates the building and defines its shape.

These structures are an inexpensive way to create a very large building, frequently meeting the need for all-weather or around-the-clock facility for sporting activities such as tennis, swimming, soccer and golf driving ranges. Businesses also select air-supported structures for warehousing, construction site storage and light manufacturing. In many applications, the structure usage is temporary or even seasonal, installed in the winter and removed and stored in the summer.

Because of the design of an air-supported structure, the material needs to be very strong to support the structural loads. On very large buildings, the use of external cables is incorporated to transfer loads to the ground.

Air-supported structures can be designed with several optional features including an insulation layer on the inside of the fabric skin to control the cost-efficiency of heat and air-conditioning. Structures also can utilize translucent fabrics to provide soft natural lighting inside the building or can use opaque materials to minimize heat build-up in the summertime.