Seasonal sports dome for pickleball court in urban location
Fairgrounds, Dynamic Air Shelters client, operates several open-air pickleball courts in Toronto’s downtown core, the site also incorporates an outdoor eating and drinking space. During winter months, the facilities are unusable due to extreme temperatures and snow.
Dynamic and Fairgrounds conducted a joint pilot project to determine feasibility of utilizing air shelters in the urban, outdoor leisure market.
By installing a multi-sports dome over the courts, it was hoped we would extend the months that the pickleball courts and additional leisure facilities could be operational.
Challenge
The location of the pickleball courts in a busy, urban area presented several distinct challenges. These challenges included; extremely limited space on site to construct the bubble, navigation of the building permit process for the application and location, as well as logistical challenges due to the location of the courts on a main street. The client required a solution that could be installed with minimal tools, lifting equipment, and could be easily packaged and stored when not in use.
Additionally, the weather in Toronto required any solution to be extremely resilient and able to withstand Canadian winter conditions. This includes heavy snow loads and possible low temperatures of -30°C. As this was a new market application for the Dynamic team, there was less reliance on the skilled labour usually available on industrial and oil & gas sites – the proposed solution needed to be fast and easy for anyone to put up.
The Dynamic Air Shelters install supervisor lead a crew to erect the bubble in only 2 days. The entire project was completed in 3 days with a team of only 4 to 7 people.
Planning
Dynamic’s local BD rep and engineering team worked closely with the client to identify and address potential challenges that may be faced.
Pre-planning, including the identification of any preliminary work that would need to be carried out to facilitate a fast installation, was also conducted by the team. As part of this process, site layouts and conditions, electrical requirements, temporary building code regulations, and an understanding of the clients business model was carried out so that DAS could provide an effective solution for this unique application and environment.
After a thorough survey, Dynamic was able to determine the sports dome that would best fit the client’s site and allow for maximum utilization of the space. Dynamic’s engineers were then able to provide a comprehensive package to support the client’s building permit application.
It was proposed that a combination of a DAS install technician and client provided labour would install the 62’x123’x24’ dome.
Solution
Dynamic Air Shelters provided the client with a 62’x123’x24’ standard, off-theshelf shelter which encapsulated three pickleball courts.
Our highly-experienced logistics team were able to coordinate shipment of the shelter from Grand Bank in Newfoundland to downtown Toronto where the shipment was offloaded using one forklift without disruption to surrounding operations.
The Dynamic Air Shelters install supervisor lead a crew of local and client provided labour (as well as some local DAS workers) to erect the bubble in only 2 days. The entire project, including installation of the anchor system, shelter, doors, and lights was completed in 3 days with a team of only 4 to 7 people.
Remote monitoring systems have also been installed which give DAS the ability to monitor the status of the sports dome, temperature, site wind speeds, and electrical location remotely.
Remote monitoring systems have also been installed which give DAS the ability to monitor the status of the sports dome, temperature, site wind speeds, and electrical location remotely.
Outcome and Benefits
By utilizing a Dynamic Air Shelter sports dome, the client can capitalize on another 4 to 5 months of business when the facility would typically have to close. This has the potential of increasing revenue for Fairgrounds by 1/3.
Additionally, the well-lit space will allow the client to extend its hours of operation throughout the rest of the year, with prolonged opening hours and the potential to expand the complementary food and drink facilities.