Royal Haskoning, a leading international engineering consultancy, has teamed up with Dutch companies ZJA Zwarts & Jansma Architects and Poly-Ned to launch its novel concept, The Shaded Dome - a smart, cool and adaptable facility for travelling venues.

The innovative concept originated from the idea to develop climate-controlled, indoor training facilities for the Fifa World Cup 2022 in Qatar, said a statement from Royal Haskoning.

Now after three years of detailed research and development, The Shaded Dome has been granted a European patent, the Dutch firm added.

Royal Haskoning, headquartered in Amersfoort, Netherlands, has 100 offices in 35 countries, employing more than 8,000 professionals worldwide.

ZJA Zwarts & Jansma Architects is a specialist in the architecture of infrastructure, public transport and sports and leisure, while Poly-Ned, based in the north of the country, is an expert in textile architecture.

The Shaded Dome is a semi-permanent facility, comprising an air-supported, environmentally-controlled dome in which a pleasant microclimate is created, said the Dutch firm.

Its integration of passive design elements and microclimate creates a comfortable indoor environment for both venue and visitors and is efficient in material use, re-usable and self-supporting in energy needs.

Royal Haskoning said the Shaded Dome has an unprecedented flexibility in size and shape. The floor-plan and overall shape can be free-form and footprints can be extended up to 20,000 sq m, the size of almost three football pitches, it stated.

Furthermore, the lightweight construction encompasses climate-related building physics, not inferior to constructions with high mass. The Shaded Dome requires limited transport volume, and can be constructed and dismantled in a matter of days, it added.

The concept allows for a multitude of utilisations, such as travelling exhibitions, sports venues, museums and entertainment, which all can enjoy the benefits of the dome’s large free-span interior.

The dome is positioned under a tent layer (the Shade), supported by a steel cable structure. This passive design element provides the dome with protection from often demanding climatic conditions, for example solar radiation, wind, high air temperature, humidity and precipitation, said the Dutch company in its statement.

The microclimate is enabled by a constant airflow between the dome and the shade, together with the use of a custom-made combination of several membrane materials.

According to the Dutch firm, the Shaded Dome has been developed to meet the highest standards in comfort, sustainability, flexibility, accessibility, safety and security for its visitors.

At the same time, it protects the venue from often demanding climatic conditions and offers a low total cost of ownership, it added.-TradeArabia News Service