In Hilliard, Ohio Bo Jackson’s Elite Sports constructs a state-of-the-art facility for athletes to use regardless of the outdoor elements.

PROJECT DETAILS

Client: Bo Jackson’s Elite Sports in Hilliard, Ohio
Fabric: 8028 Opaque Tedlar
Top Finish: Tedlar
Fabrication and Installation: The Farley Group - Air-Supported Structures

Project Story:

When the first Bo Jackson’s Elite Sports dome was inflated in Lockport, Illinois, it did so sporting Shelter-Rite® Architectural Fabrics. That was 10 years ago, and the staff at Bo Jackson’s Elite Sports are very pleased with how the Tedlar® top coat has kept the structure looking as clean as the day it was installed, with very minimal signs of aging.

Longevity of the material, along with cost, factored into the training center’s decision to open a second location with the same fabric in Hilliard, Ohio.

Much like in 2008, The Farley Group was selected to construct the air-supported structure that allows athletes to train and hone their skills year-round, especially during the winter months.

“That is part of the mandate of Bo Jackson’s Elite Sports, as far as being able to offer indoor training year-round to compete with other athletes from different parts of the country that have that luxury of being able to train outdoors year-round,” said Ian McCormick, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at The Farley Group.

The 106,000-square-foot insulated structure was completed utilizing Shelter-Rite’s 8028 Opaque Tedlar—an American-made product that carries a 20-year warranty. The dome includes many features, including:

• A full-size major league infield
• Eight baseball/softball batting cages
• Three baseball/softball pitching tunnels
• A full collegiate-style weight room
• A multi-use field for soccer, football and lacrosse

Energy-efficient insulation packages make an Air-Supported structure a solid long-term, cost-effective choice for sports and recreation applications.

McCormick said the project wouldn’t have happened if it had to be built with conventional materials, such as brick or steel.

“An air-supported structure is a lower capital cost alternative to any other types of traditional construction, especially when covering large clear span open spaces like this,” he said. “You can’t cover this kind of space with a clear span-type building—meaning there are no interior columns—at the cost that you’re looking at here. It really sets up the ability for recreation.”

Bo Jackson’s Elite Sports has found this to be an ideal building solution for having everything under one roof and doing it at an economical cost.

Aside from being one-half the cost of a fabric frame building and about one-quarter of what a brick and mortar building would cost, another advantage of an air-structure facility is that it can be seasonal. It can be taken down in the summer and put up in the winter.

Shelter-Rite is The Farley Group’s supplier of the outer fabrics it uses to fabricate air-supported structures. For over 40 years, Shelter-Rite architectural fabrics have been engineered with a proprietary coating formula for superior UV and mildew resistance, and unique weft-inserted knit fabric that provides excellent tensile, tear and seam strength. This time-tested technology has resulted in architectural structures that maintain long-lasting aesthetics.