page_title: Inflatable
section_title: Air-supported structure
hierarchical_section_title: Inflatable / Types / By use / Air-supported structure
caption_attribution_description: English: Air-supported dome used as a sports and recreation venue (location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
context_page_description: An inflatable is an object that can be inflated with a gas, usually with air, but hydrogen, helium and nitrogen are also used. One of several advantages of an inflatable is that it can be stored in a small space when not inflated, since inflatables depend on the presence of a gas to maintain their size and shape. Function fulfillment per mass used compared with non-inflatable strategies is a key advantage. Stadium cushions, impact guards, vehicle wheel inner tubes, emergency air bags, and inflatable space structures employ the inflatable principle. Inflation occurs through several strategies: pumps, ram-air, billowing, and suction.
  Although the term inflatable can refer to any type of inflatable object, the term is often used in boating to specifically refer to inflatable boats.
context_section_description: An air-supported (or air-inflated) structure is any permanent building that derives its structural integrity from the use of internal pressurized air to inflate a pliable material (i.e. structural fabric) envelope, so that air is the main support of the structure. It is usually dome-shaped, since this shape creates the greatest volume for the least amount of material. However, rectangular inflatables are also possible, such as the Airtecture Exhibition Hall constructed by Festo AG & Co.
  The concept was popularized on a large scale by David H. Geiger with the United States pavilion at Expo '70 in Osaka, Japan in 1970.
  To maintain structural integrity, the structure must be pressurized such that the internal pressure equals or exceeds any external pressure being applied to the structure (i.e. wind pressure). The structure does not have to be airtight to retain structural integrity—as long as the pressurization system that supplies internal pressure replaces any air leakage, the structure will remain stable. All access to the structure interior must be equipped with two sets of doors or revolving door (airlock). Air-supported structures are secured by heavy weights on the ground, ground anchors, attached to a foundation, or a combination of these.
caption: Air-supported dome used as a sports and recreation venue
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