Portable building serves as airship terminal and promotional venue

Tectoniks Ltd. | Shrewsbury, Shropshire, United Kingdom

This project, which won an Award of Excellence in the air structures category of the 2007 International Achievement Awards, involved the design, manufacture and installation of a portable building to serve as an airship terminal and promotional venue at The Palm in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In order to provide a comfortable interior environment suitable for audio-visual presentations in temperatures that can reach 113 Fahrenheit (45 C), a blackout fabric is used for the internal surface of the building, blocking out 100% of visible light. The air pressure within the walls of the structure is controlled by a computer-based system. The base incorporates all air and electrical services for the structure, resulting in a very clean installation with no visible hoses or cables.