Abstract/Summary

With the growing increase in health and wellbeing awareness, fitness through sports activities is gradually forming an integral part of the life style of human beings. However, nature does not always provide the outdoor climatic conditions for these activities to thrive in cold climates such as the United Kingdom (UK). Sports complexes such as indoor tennis facilities (domes) are now extremely popular in local councils and universities throughout the UK. With an unpredictable variation in climate conditions, the tennis dome is the ideal solution for keeping the racket swinging all year round. A UK University currently houses a state-of-the art indoor tennis facility (dome). This is an Air-supported structure comprising of a multi-layered woven polyester fabric, designed with ventilation and climate control. The floor area of the facility is approximately 1871m2, with a height of 10.5m to the apex. Since its installation, there has been concerns about the build-up of hot still air pockets in areas of the dome due to a lack of air movement, consequently affecting the indoor environment (IE) quality. Two methods have been used to investigate conditions within the facility over three seasons; a) Experimental measurements of five IE parameters (i.e. temperature, RH, CO2, lighting levels, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and air velocity) b) Numerical modelling using integrated environmental solutions (IES) and CFD software The results show high temperatures of between 20°C - 43°C across seasons with low air velocities < 0.1m/s. Simulations from the models predicts, the predicted percentage dissatisfied (PPD) is above 30% in autumn and no better in summer. The CFD contours demonstrates that the environment is not well mixed, hence the need to implement forced ventilation to ensure the facility meets stipulated benchmarks. Nevertheless, moving into an era where dynamic construction is becoming more in demand, this ongoing research is envisaged to provide results that would inform future designs.