Smart inflatable building

Concept development

Traditional technologies such as masonry and steel frame skeleton + architectural glass would not fit the budget, and developing preliminary architectural designs could have taken months. Another feasible option was to utilize readily available thermo insulated sandwich panels with insulation materials such as EPS (expanded polystyrene), mineral wool or PIR (polyurethane or polyisocyanurate). 

In our conceptual search, we turned to the old pneumo-framed inflatable modular building first developed in the Czech Republic in the 1970s as temporary warehousing for goods, vehicles and produce in the logistics, agriculture and defense industries. EnCata had previous experience with such buildings and we called the new approach “TheFir” technology.

The CAPEX costs and time required to complete the project looked appealing, and we progressed to design an entirely new building with climate control, engineering, and life support modules. The challenge and innovation in enabling the inflatable pneumatic structure to host advanced CNC manufacturing machinery and large office space for the entire R&D arm of EnCata.

There was a broad range of risks and challenges considered:

• Foundation for heavy industrial machinery
• Storm rainwater
• HVAC and air conditioning to suit both harsh winters (-25 deg C / -13 deg. F) and hot summers (+40 deg C / 105 deg F)
• Plumbing systems and sewage design
• Snow load
• Faultless performance of the pneumo-framed construction
• Engineering systems

As part of concept development, we conducted a series of calculations and FEA/CFD simulations to support the concept: wind simulations, dynamic heat transfer simulations, and a multitude of simulations concerning fresh air circulation.

Engineering development

In order to upgrade the available pneumatic structure technology for office level use, a range of modules and solutions were developed, such as:

• entrance gates;
• wide glass window;
• special restroom modules;
• air ducts with smart HVAC modules;
• special measures required to incorporate polymer coating room;
• office walls;
• smart IoT building management electronics and software;
• reserve inflating module for faultless structure performance (in case there is a punch hole present in one or several of the “balloons”)
• Special scratch-resistant plastic floors (as easy to install jigsaws).

The inflatable modular building technology comprised ”balloon” elements (i.e., pneumo-frame modules or pneumatic inflatable modules) filled with compressed air (ΔP=+30 Pa). Small elevated pressure inside provides rigidity to the 2.5-meter thick “balloon” structures filled with air. The air inside of the dome structure acts as a noise and heat insulator.
The advantage of inflatable pneumo-framed dome construction technology is mobility, fast installation and small size when disassembled. Installation of this type of prefabricated building is possible almost anywhere and does not require extensive use of heavy construction vehicles, site preparation, and thorough foundation fabrication.

All engineering design for the new inflatable dome was developed in CAD, including office and manufacturing floor planning, MEP and HVAC systems.

It took 2.5 months for EnCata to design the structural elements and new modules. When finished with the engineering, we proceeded to fabric procurement and modules production. In parallel with the massive procurement program, we started manufacturing special modules for the new office - all in-house. 

When HVAC units and modules arrived, the industrial IoT systems commenced development. The IoT system consisted of several essential blocks, serving the need to command the HVAC system. These were:

• a custom designed meteorological weather station, measuring:
  - outdoor atmospheric pressure 
  - outdoor temperature
  - rain and snow precipitation
  - wind speed and direction
  - real-time CO2 measurement
• An array of indoor sensors:
  - temperature sensors
  - CO2 sensors
  - pressure sensors
  - airflow sensors
• The meteo station and internal sensors provide readings to the two (primary and backup) smart inflating modules that use the sensor data in a feedback loop to adjust “balloon” pressure according to atmospheric pressure, indoor/outdoor temperatures, and natural precipitation. 
• The temperature and CO2 sensors send readings to the control board that commands the heating and system that adjusts fresh air inflow and the temperature inside the pneumatic building.
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The array of IoT devices and sensors allowed to build a detailed digital twin of the factory building, which is used in daily operations and building management.

The special fire-proof reinforced PVC fabric sealed in “frankfurter” cylinders (2.5 meters in diameter) when filled with air provides great heat insulation, while ensuring minimum leaks.

The lifespan for a typical PVC fabric employed for the construction is 20 years, suitable for a wide range of outdoor temperatures: from -35 deg. C to +70 deg. C.

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The air pump system ensures constant positive pressure with necessary weather-smart adjustments. The inflating module's air pump operates for 1.5–2 minutes per hour, consuming 5 kW of power, which totals approximately 4 kWh per day and 100–130 kWh per month.

The prefabricated core engineering and life support systems, supplied in a shipping container, enhance modularity, mobility, and portability, simplifying the transportation and installation of the FIR pneumatic building for use as a school, manufacturing facility, office space, or warehouse.