Arizon Building technology is a cost-effective, fast, and green/eco-friendly alternative to conventional construction.

The technological expertise and experience required of a successful building company is considerable. Arizon’s team has more than 50 years engineering buildings, heating, cooling, and inflation systems. The sections below explore some of this technology behind Arizon’s Frame and Air Supported Structures. They also explore questions about Arizon Buildings’ lifespans, resistance to weather, ability to attach to other buildings, acoustics, and safety.

Arizon Buildings fit into 3 categories, framed fabric structures, air supported fabric structures, and tension fabric structures.

Structural Support

Frame Structures

Our frame buildings have a steel or aluminum truss or beam frame that takes the wind and snow loads and transfers them to the ground.

Air Supported Structures

In an air supported structure, the skin is stressed to take the load by a slight positive pressure within the building. Often the stress is relieved from the fabric by a series of cables, or Cable Grid, to transfer the loads to the foundation. The fabric and Cable Grid acts as a frame, but does so with tension rather than compression. Therefore, loads on the foundation are uplift in all cases. Air supported structures have three main cable grid types: radial, low bias, and full bias. Small air structures less than 80 feet wide may not require any cable grid. Arizon Structures is the only air supported structure manufacturer that offers all four of these structural design options.

Every air supported structure is required to include an emergency source of power in case of electrical service interruption. Arizon has decided to furnish top of the line automatic generators as a standard with our air structures. Reliability and safety are the most important features of our structures, and the emergency source of power is a critical item that must not be left to chance. These stand-by generators perform weekly self tests and keep the battery charged at all times.

Fabric

The fabric membrane consists of a vinyl-coated polyester weave, and is available in translucent, opaque and many popular colors. Custom fabrics, such as camouflage for military applications, are also available. Dupont’s Tedlar, PVDF and other quality coatings can be applied specifically for structures that must maintain appearance and provide extended life. Arizon™ applies proprietary coatings to the fabric which results in a long life, enhanced thermal characteristics, UV and environmental protection.

Arizon ™ does not sew together its Air Structures. Electronic radio frequency (RF) welding develops seam construction equal to the fabric or material strength. This increases the life of the structure, prevents undesirable air loss, and eliminates costly maintenance and repair.

Thermal Design

In structures that require special temperature control, one or more vinyl coated, polyester layers are constructed into the outer membrane, creating a dead-air space of approximately 6-12”. This results in a minimum cost of heating and/or air conditioning the structure and provides for installing fiberglass or high tech “Mylar” N.A.S.A. type materials. The Thermaliner is also used as an acoustical barrier. Arizon™ uses a special perpendicular “tab” detail to attach the inner and outer fabric allowing for 100% insulation. At no point does the inner and outer fabric meet to cause a condensation problem or interruption in the dead, insulated air space.

One of Arizon’s large advantages is our ability to create a variety of different fabric layering options. Learn more.

Heating, Ventilating, and Cooling Systems (HVAC)

Arizon is the world leader in energy efficient and reliable HVAC systems not only for our Arizon Buildings, but also for some of the world’s leading companies and countries. Using a variety of fuel sources such as Natural Gas, Propane, Hot Water, Steam or Electricity, our Johnson Air Rotation heating units safely and efficiently heat the air structure to the desired temperature at the location’s design winter weather conditions. Air Conditioning is available as well, and will be custom designed for each project’s specific requirements.  In air supported structures, the inflation unit is integrated into the heating unit.  We are the only company who custom designed—and manufactures—our own equipment to work specifically with Air Structures, instead of applying off-the-shelf units, to keep the building properly pressurized and heated during the harsh winter environment. Our designs are based on the patented Johnson Air Rotation™ technology which evenly heats large open spaces such as air structures.  All Arizon Buildings come with back up inflation systems.   Every air supported structure is required to include an emergency source of power in case of electrical service interruption. Arizon has decided to furnish top of the line automatic generators as a standard with our air structures. Reliability and safety are the most important features of our structures, and the emergency source of power is a critical item that must not be left to chance. These stand-by generators perform weekly self tests and keep the battery charged at all times.

While for air supported structures the heating system is usually integrated into the inflation unit, air conditioning is often furnished as a separate unit to reduce equipment size and cost. Arizon’s heating and air conditioning units are designed around our Air Rotation technology to evenly heat or cool the structure.

Weather & Safety Considerations

As mentioned above in the “Codes” section, Arizon Buildings are all designed to meet local wind and snow design loads in accordance with the latest International Building Code (IBC). Arizon Buildings can be designed to withstand 150 mph winds and snow loads of 50 lbs per square foot. Furthermore, during times of earthquakes or tornados, the risk of falling debris is far less than in a conventional structure.

Air Supported Structure Weather and Safety Considerations

We have specially designed controls, backup generators, and emergency exits to add security to our air supported structures during emergencies or instances of severe weather.   Due to our considerable engineering and architectural experience, Arizon is the choice of building owners in many hurricane prone, earthquake prone, and snow prone areas around the world.

Controls

Arizon has integrated a state of the art Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) into the inflation unit to enhance system controllability and stability. The inflation unit is designed to minimize operating horsepower and energy use. For all but the smallest air supported structures, a dedicated make-up air fan reduces the work of pressurization to only the small amount of make-up air needed. In this design, we take this work away from the heating/air conditioning system. Still, these systems are integrated into one unit controlled together. The PLC is also capable of integration with other Building Management Systems or our own Remote Control Panel.

Our PLC also utilizes snow sensors (as regionally needed) and wind sensors to allow our air supported structures to dynamically adjust pressure and/or temperature as needed.

Emergency Doors

Emergency Exit Doors are specially designed pressure balanced center-pivot doors so that the building pressure does not act against the user when opening or closing the door. In fact, the doors are self closing even with a positive building pressure, since the pressure on the door is balanced on each side of the center hinge. This hinge glides along a track allowing the door panel to move completely out of the way so it does not hinder the path of egress. Like the Personal Airlock, these doors are aluminum construction with vision panels.

Attachment to Other Buildings

Just like any other building, Arizon Buildings can be attached to other buildings in a variety of ways, and the design interface often depends on the planned use and size of interface required. For air supported domes, a structural connection to a building requires that the other building takes the uplift load that the air structure will develop. Arizon can calculate the design loads required of the building. This is often the type of connection when attaching the air structure to the side of a clubhouse.

Alternative attachment designs include non-structural attachments, where an area of the air structure is relieved of its stress by a control cable, and the area within the cable can be attached to a building or doorway by a short fabric tunnel.

Doors, Windows, and Lights

Doors in Air Supported Fabric Structures

One unique feature of air supported structures is their doors which are specifically designed for the continuous positive pressure environment. There are three main types of doors used in air structures: Revolving Doors for normal entry into the dome, Personal Airlock Doors, and Emergency Exit Doors. Revolving Doors must be specially built to withstand the building pressure pushing in both directions on the panels without fatigue failure. Brush seals minimize air losses while maintaining smooth operation. The doors include large glass panels to see other users, and the housing is made from maintenance free aluminum. Personal Airlock Doors are used mainly for wheelchair access, but are also useful for hand-truck deliveries. Two doors are built in a frame with a short connecting tunnel creating an airlock system, thereby maintaining the building pressure and minimizing air loss. The frame and doors are also built from aluminum for long life and include vision panels for safety. The Emergency Exit Doors are specially designed pressure balanced center-pivot doors so that the building pressure does not act against the user when opening or closing the door. In fact, the doors are self closing even with a positive building pressure, since the pressure on the door is balanced on each side of the center hinge. This hinge glides along a track allowing the door panel to move completely out of the way so it does not hinder the path of egress. Like the Personal Airlock, these doors are aluminum construction with vision panels.

Doors in Frame Supported Fabric Structures

Frame supported fabric structures can have doors, loading docks, and emergency exits just as an any conventional “brick and mortar” building.

Windows

Although the building fabric can be translucent, it is not transparent. Even so, windows are an optional feature – clear fabric or Plexiglas windows. These windows will not have the structural integrity of the architectural fabrics of the air structure, and so the windows must be isolated from the stress of the building.

Lighting

Both air supported and frame supported structures are typically designed with translucent roofs. This reduces and sometimes eliminates the need for daytime lighting. When lighting is needed, Arizon used indirect lighting to provide the most even distribution of light possible. Arizon has specially designed our lighting systems and fabric to be as reflective as possible. Lights typically hang from the air structure roof, but can also be pole mounted for ease of maintenance and seasonal installation. Arizon typically uses metal halide lights in order to provide the highest lumen output per bulb possible and thus reducing the total number of fixtures (and subsequent maintenance) necessary.

Seasonal Buildings

Air supported structures are regularly designed for seasonal uses such as tennis court bubbles, swimming pool enclosures, seasonal convention halls, and football practice fields.

For many of these applications, it is profitable to have the air supported structure in place only for wintertime activities, and store the structure during the summer months. Often small sport & recreation or pools find that the winter revenue from a seasonal dome is very lucrative. The design of a seasonal building has a few minor additional considerations. The size of each section is smaller for easier handling; Anchor bolts in the footings should be removable so no bolts are sticking up after the dome is removed, and proper fabric selection is a big consideration as well. Arizon will design these features in from the start for seasonal applications.

Life Expectancy, Service, & Maintenance

Arizon manufactures air structures with a normal life expectancy of 25 years. In some cases, well maintained structures have been known to last significantly longer.

Just like any piece of equipment, proper maintenance and service will help ensure that the maximum life of the product is achieved. We will furnish a complete Operation & Maintenance Manual for the air structure covering the equipment included with the air structure. As a practical approach to service and maintenance, air structures are fairly specialized. We will train the end user in the operation and maintenance of the structure, if course, yet we still see many structures suffering from a lack of timely maintenance and upkeep. That is why we offer several service options to not only extend the life of the structure and equipment, but to ensure that the warranties on the equipment are kept up. Quarterly and annual Service & Maintenance calls, annual burner start-ups, and extended warranty options are high value, low cost investments that we highly recommend for any air structure owner.

Finally, it is important to note that the cost of retrofitting new fabric for your fabric structure—or even building a new structure altogether—at the end of its life expectancy is still less than the cost of maintenance over the same life expectancy for a conventional structure (roofing, HVAC maintenance, etc.)

Acoustics

Arizon’s fabric dampens sound waves instead of reflecting and creating echo effects.  The result is a “hushed” atmosphere, which is superior for conversation and allows for crisp, clear sound travel when addressing a group or an audience.

Code Compliance

Several old Codes have been outdated and abandoned, or are only used by reference in certain circumstances. The main Code that covers Air Structures now is the International Building Code (IBC). The IBC is revised and reissued every three years. Most parts of the US have adopted the IBC (or a slightly revised version of it).

Air Structures should be considered Type IIB Construction as defined in the IBC. There has been a lot of precedence for this classification. When used for participant sports or assembly, the building use is defined as Type A. Participant sports with spectator seating puts the building into Type A-4, and without spectator seating into Type A-3. Unfortunately the Code does not list all possible activities that air structures can be used for, so close review of the application is required. Ultimately, this and many other interpretations required in order to determine the fire protection system needed, required access around the building, and such are up to the local Authority Having Jurisdiction. This should be an early step when planning any project, and can often be made easier with a qualified Architect or Code Consultant working directly for the Owner. Arizon has provided extensive Code interpretation information to Architects and Owners during this process.  It is never too early to get Arizon involved in the Code compliance and design acceptance process.