Evolution Dome has successfully deployed a temporary inflatable hangar to support Leonardo’s Proteus autonomous helicopter programme, demonstrating the suitability of inflatable structures for event sites where weather resilience and rapid deployment are essential.
Deployed on an active airfield in Yeovil, the 15m x 15m structure was required to meet stringent Health & Safety and Fire Department regulations while operating in a high-exposure environment. A primary technical requirement was the ability to withstand wind speeds of up to 55mph, a threshold that exceeds the standard operating limits of many temporary fabric structures.
To manage the logistics of such a high wind rating, Evolution Dome utilised a specialised anchoring and monitoring system. The deployment included a remote pressure-sensing unit that provided real-time data to the Leonardo team, ensuring the structural integrity of the “air-beam” technology remained constant. This proactive monitoring de-risked the storage of high-value assets and proved the viability of inflatable structures for long-term outdoor installations under adverse conditions.
A Leonardo spokesperson commented, “The Evolution Dome temporary hangar provided increased flexibility and efficiency to the Proteus Test & Evaluation programme. By providing a robust, off-the-shelf solution that allowed for signal testing, which traditional metallic structures could not accommodate, Evolution Dome was instrumental in helping us maintain our schedule and safely reach our first flight milestones.”
“In the outdoor events industry, wind is the single greatest variable and risk factor,” said Ash Austin, Director of Evolution Dome. “By meeting the rigorous standards of a military-grade aerospace programme on a 15m radius helipad, we have demonstrated that our off-the-shelf structures offer a level of safety and stability that rivals other semi-permanent installations, without the lead or build times.”
The structure’s modular design enabled it to be configured to the exact footprint required by the site facilities, demonstrating the spatial flexibility essential for complex event builds.
Author: Sam Hyland
Sam is the assistant content manager for Event Industry News (EIN). Sam is involved in publishing news stories, videos and podcasts. Sam also collates the latest stories for the EIN e-newsletter. If you have a press release or story you think we might be interested to know about please email features@eventindustrynews.com
