Myth-Bubblers: Air Structure Myths 2

In this follow up to our earlier blog article about dome myths, we’ll dive into three more common misconceptions about air supported structures. Part 1 of our dome myths discussed whether the pressure in a dome will hurt your ears, if it gets dark inside a bubble, or if you should be worried domes being weak.

In this installment, we’ll look at the myths surrounding whether it get cold in domes, if bubbles take a long time to inflate, and whether or not professionals train in air structures.

Domes are Cold

It’s easy to assume that an air structure might be cold during the winter. After all, it’s only a few sheets of fabric separating you from the outside.

The reality is that domes can be quite warm on the inside. Thanks to a mostly airtight seal, none of the cold air actually makes it through. The fresh air cycling into the dome is heated and domes can even be insulated to keep more of that warmth inside, thus lowering heating costs. Domes can actually be quite toasty!
 
The internal climate is relatively easy to control so heating in the winter and cooling in the winter is as simple as warming or cooling the air going in. To read more about heating and insulation of domes, we have more blog articles with more about heating bubbles.

It Takes a Long Time to Inflate a Dome

Air domes can be massive. While it can take a while to prepare the foundation and put together the dome itself, inflating the bubble actually happens relatively quickly.

Once  you stretch out and secure a dome in place, the actual inflation is a breeze. Even a large bubble inflates in a matter of hours with all the fans running. Just like inflating a balloon, the process is quick and painless.

Most people are surprised to learn that the internal pressure of a dome only needs to be minutely greater than the pressure outside. This means only a relatively small amount of air is needed to actually inflate the dome. It’s not like inflating a car tire or air mattress!

Professional Teams Don’t Train Indoors

Since many domes are used by children and non-professional athletes, many don’t think that elite athletes train in the same way.

This one couldn’t be further from the truth! Many professional sports teams need to train as much as they can. This means that they can’t rely on the weather to dictate when they can or cannot hit the pitch or the court. Air structures provide high-level athletes the opportunity to train in comfort without having to travel. Tennis bubbles and soccer domes are perfect for year-round training.

Major League Soccer (MLS) teams such as the Toronto FC and the Chicago Fire train in their soccer bubbles, manufactured and maintained by The Farley Group.
 
Have any more dome myths or misconceptions about domes that you’d like us to clear up? Leave us a message on Facebook or in the comments below!